Review Summary: Mgla-exercises not in futility
New Mgla is good. Like,
really ***ing good. But that's not the point of this review, is it? You want a detailed analysis guiding you through the winding trve spooky corridors of the land that is nihilistic Polish black metal. Something beyond, hey, it is a new Mgla album in the year of 2019! However to truly submit a proper review of
Age of Excuse is probably void of purpose, because I and the reader of this review know that you have listened to Mgla, or at least
Exercises In Futility. Is this a long and convoluted narrative meant to create some sort of filler intro paragraph? Probably, but truthfully this is the same catchy trem riffs and complex tom heavy drumming paired with half-spoken rasps that you've heard before.
Really, Mgla are the Amon Amarth of black metal in that they're unchanging to a near fault, but only near. For 4 albums and many an ep/demo they've managed to carry the torch of full blown cold nihilism without ever resorting to a campy blackcraft level of edginess. All the while they manage to hone in on their ability to create a balance of anger and catharsis through some incredibly catchy riffwork and rampant drumming (the ending of Age of Excuse III being an incredible example of such).
Still, this is nothing new for Mgla and no news for anyone because they've been riding the same sound that started with
Groza , just now with better production and flashier drum patterns (flashy in the best of ways). This is problematic for those who cant handle repetition and understandably so, but it also creates a sense of comfort in knowing that everything they do is a gradual refinement, with song structures become slightly more intricate and focused as time passes. So for those who already dislike Mgla, there is no hope for you here, but for my other mountain dew stained black metal brethren, badass riffs and intricate drum patterns await.
