Mortalicum have a name that sounds doomy, and a kind of Doom vibe, but they are much more about NWOBHM-styled rocking than any genuine gloomy impulse. This is their second album, getting released on the underground bastion of Metal on Metal records.
This band has a good feel for groovy riffs (not groove riffs, there's a distinction) and compositions that roll along easy and smooth. Vocalist Henrik Hogl has a high, clear voice that goes well with the sound, and he has nice, open, melodic vocal melodies to work with. Mortalicum are enjoyable, but they never really push it. They have a smooth, inoffensive guitar sound that could use some more meat on it, and their riffs are sometimes excellent, but too often are content to just kind of chug along. These songs are decently put together, but they are kind of flat, and never really grab you. The vocal melodies are similar - good, but they don't stick. This is a fun enough disc while it is on, and fans of outfits like Witchfinder General may really like it more than me, but this album is not as good as it could be.
