Review Summary: A lesser-known black metal classic that deserves more recognition
Mortuary Drape is a band that does in fact need an introduction. Despite setting down roots in the late 1980s before putting out several outstanding black metal releases in the second-wave heyday of the 1990s, they’ve somehow largely avoided the limelight.
That’s not for a lack of underground influence or talent though, as heavyweights like Negative Plane, Watain and Cultes des Ghoules are among the ranks of bands that Mortuary Drape inspired with their heavy metal approach to black metal.
And their cvlt status similarly isn’t for a lack of accessibility. With the exception of a single album, the Mortuary Drape discography can be described as a ritual occult, bass-forward black metal extravaganza. The music is dripping in atmosphere and theatrics while remaining easy to listen to. It’s black metal by way of heavy metal, steeped in Venom, Bathory and Mercyful Fate.
“Secret Sudaria,” released in 1997, finds Mortuary Drape firing on all cylinders. Recently off the heels of their excellent debut – 1994’s “All the Witches Dance” – the Italian outfit polished all the bones and trimmed all the the nails of their signature sound before delivering one hell of an album.
Foregoing a long intro, “Secret Sudaria” jumps right into the riffs. Mid-tempo blasts slide into doomy passages with spindly, carnival guitar solos. Organs and synths sparingly but dramatically puncture the songs. Thrashy gallops thunder into wails, howls and growls courtesy of the frontman and now only remaining original member, Wildness Perversion. Ripped-from-the-80s riffs are torn asunder by blackened punk passages, and psychedelic flanges kick into death infused black metal assaults at various parts of this album.
Nearly thirty years after its release I’m not sure it’s worth describing the specific riffs or songs in too much detail. You just have to listen to them. Like, go give this a spin now. Or listen to their debut, or the also-excellent “Spiritual Independence.” Or, really, any of their albums will do in a pinch. That’s because Mortuary Drape has somehow managed to avoid writing a truly bad album in their nearly four decades of existence (despite the middling blackened thrasher record “Buried in Time” which abandoned nearly everything that makes this band so unique).
But “Secret Sudaria” is my favorite offering from the band, and remains an excellent point of entrance for new listeners. All the pieces the band had experimented with in their two previous EPs, full length album and various demos are pulled together here wonderfully. A large part of that is that Mortuary Drape clearly knew they needed to keep their audience engaged and entertained, and they did that by producing flourishes and tricks, hairpin tempo switchups and mood changes excellently.
They also did it by cultivating a fantastic ritual occult vibe throughout the album. Wildness Perversion’s esoteric spiritualism brings a unique twist to the band. Instead of Baphomet and Satan, Mortuary Drape showcases a lowercase blasphemy replete with witches, rituals, graveyards and candles. The grand battles between demons, gods and devils have no place here. Instead it’s an exploration of working magic, ritual and communion with the spirits beyond. Their live shows are apparently known for the over-the-top theatricality, perhaps effectively becoming rituals themselves.
Maybe it was that focus on communal ritual and a refusal to fall in line with the era's prevailing trends of frigid black metal that allowed Mortuary Drape to never cave to outside influences. As the only permanent member of the band, Wildness Perversion’s (nearly) unwavering musical vision has carried the band across nearly four decades and six full length albums. That vision is on full display on “Secret Sudaria” and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
