Morgoth: Ungod

German death metallers finally resurface on safe ground

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Extremely popular in their native Germany in the first half of the 90s but virtually ignored everywhere else – especially in England, where they have yet to play – four years into their reunion, Morgoth have unleashed their first full-length in 19 years.

The challenge was twofold: with a series of three albums that saw them moving from total death metal to industrial-tinged in the space of six years, which version of the band they would resurrect was always in question. More troubling was the departure, just days before recording his vocal parts, of founding member Marc Grewe, forcing the rest of his comrades to hire Karsten ‘Jagger’ Jäger from Disbelief.

Considering the context, Ungod does a pretty good job, even if it takes the safe road by sticking to the classic sound of their most popular record, 1991’s Cursed. Jäger uncannily manages to sound more Grewe than Grewe himself and although it barely breaks any new ground, underneath the album’s traditionalism lies good old bulletproof songwriting.

This won’t probably change their status, but won’t hurt it either./o:p