Martwa Aura / Odour of Death - Credo in Mortem

MARTWA AURA / ODOUR OF DEATH - Credo in Mortem (UNDER THE SIGN OF GARAZEL / PUTRID CULT - CD 2019)

"Credo in Mortem" is a split release between two Polish black metal projects Martwa Aura and Odour of Death and I have to admit that it's one of the better black metal splits I have listened to in a while. Both bands did great job here and both delivered some fantastic songs. I didn't expect much from it, but the result is absolutely great and it's a worthy, recommended album. 

Especially Martwa Aura surprised me, because I had only a small chance to hear their music before, didn't really appreciate it enough. But here Martwa Aura sounds absolutely killer. The melodic base of their songs is simply fantastic, all these guitar harmonies do brilliant work, especially when combined with the black metal harshness. Tempo wise this is as varied as it could be - "Noc kiedy zniknęła cała ludzkość" has that early "Transilvanian Hunger"-esque fast paced, raw cold, grim black metal feel (at least in the first part of this song), but later songs have more mid-paced and even slow stuff, what increases the melancholic and mesmerizing aura of the music (especially in "Odór Śmierci"). Their ideas and song structures are nothing revolutionary, but it requires good skills to be able to play such an interesting, yet quite traditional black metal, with songs that are over 5-6 minutes long. And Martwa Aura did that perfectly. On top of everything, the production is great, it's harsh, but at the same time quite clear sounding, with great guitar sound, good drums and just far from the boring and forgettable primitiveness. And the vocals from Greg (also in Upir and Bloodthirst) is another detail, which I need to mention. He did fantastic job also, giving vicious, but diverse vocals. And all with Polish lyrics, which is maybe also why they sound quite specific for the Polish black metal scene. Anyway, I am absolutely impressed with these three songs. 

I did not have a chance to even see Odour of Death's name before, but they also sound very well on "Credo in Mortem". Harsher, less melodic (but not completely derived of melody), more aggressive, faster and primeval, yet also damn good. Atmosphere is cold, hateful, evil and generally it all stinks with death and sulphur. They also seek for a little bit of diversity and so, between fast, speeding black metal you'll find "Solace", the only track with English lyrics on the split. And it's a great piece, which reminds me such Non Opus Dei a little, with slower, but more infectious and also melodic riffage. There's even a bit of acoustic guitar used in it. The song speeds up after a while, but it still is the most memorable and a highlight from all three Odour of Death tracks on this CD. Everything correspondents very well also with Martwa Aura music, so I have absolutely no complains on neither of these two bands. Great, recommnded split CD. 

Standout tracks: "Noc kiedy zniknęła cała ludzkość", "Odór śmierci", "Solace" 

Verdict: 80/100