4 /5
Rating
Written by MetalMike
Published February 18, 2019

Finnish black metal is typically gloomy and cadaverous but not so Morgal. Their four-song, self-titled EP from 2018 combines the velocity of early speed metal, the feral vocals of black metal's second wave and a melodic sensibility from thrash. The band races through the songs, none topping 4 minutes, in a tidy 14:04 and leaves the listener breathless and wanting more. Tormented howls on "The Black Goddess" transition to the organ and acoustic guitar of "Warcry of the Vampire" which then launches into a more ferocious riff. This last song is the best of the bunch and effectively uses tempo changes to create a vivid atmosphere of epic horror. This EP is good and if Morgal has an album's worth of stuff in the vein of "Warcry of the Vampire", watch out.