Morgoth - Cursed to Live
Death Metal live albums are something of an anomaly. Death Metal is one of, if not the most exhilarating styles of music to witness in the live setting. Or at least I fondly remember that being the case, as in my old age I can’t seem to tolerate a gathering of more than five people. Whether it be of the melodic, technical, brutal, or even ultra-brutal variety, it’s tough to beat a good Death Metal show. That said, live albums within the genre tend to be as exciting as watching dustmites fuck. By some white wizardry, the experience does not translate well on record. Does, “hey man, check it out, new album by… oh wait… never mind, it’s live,” sound familiar? Of course there’s always exceptions. Deicide’s When Satan Lives and Unleashed’s Eastern Blood immediately spring to mind. Then again, I probably haven’t dusted those off in a decade or so. Speaking of forgotten gems, how long has it been since you thought about Morgoth? Sure, I wore out my Odium cassette in the ’90s, but a relative lifetime of inactivity since slightly raises the question of the need for a live album now. Especially considering this was a reunion gig featuring a lineup that only boasted two original members. Recorded last October in their native Germany at the Ways of Darkness festival, these 15 cuts are pooled mostly from the first two EPs and 1991’s classic Cursed LP (hence the title). Sadly, despite the best efforts of a Dan Swano mix job, this particular performance is sorely substandard, which only adds to the irrelevancy of the total package. Marc Grewe’s voice sounds terrible. I mean downright awful. Just listening to his battle-worn throat crack and blister right off the bat on “Body Count” fills me with sympathy for all in attendance who still had another hour to suffer through. Hats off to Mr. Grewe for the effort, but it sounds as if time has caught up to him with a vengeance. Morgoth will eternally hold a place in most Death Metal lifers’ hearts as the best Swedeath band from Germany during their brief reign, but —officially defunct or not— Cursed to Live plays like a posthumous release if ever I’ve heard one.
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