Mourned – “Mourned”
Mourned is a metal band. No strike that.
Mourned is a metal/hardcore band. Hmm…
Okay, Mourned is a metal/hardcore band with death vocals and a lot of traditional, heavy riffing with some thrash thrown in there, too.
For me, I’d classify them as metal but it’s hard not to see the hardcore in their style, also.
I think Mourned is a great metal band….No strike that.
I think Mourned is a great metal/hardcore band….Um.
I love Mourned because along with the modern death vocals you got some seriously, heavy guitar riffs and somber groove that might have fit on an old Black Sabbath record somewhere. Along with some powerful, explosive hardcore/thrash rhythms giving you the best of, at least, three worlds.
Their songs usually have parts where the music is heavy, slow and headbanging. Then parts that are hellacious hardcore- either way what you get is songs that are hard, intense, passionate and raw.
But I wouldn’t take my word for it. Let’s let the band speak and play for themselves.
“Force” starts off mighty and strong with a dark, slashing guitar and a steady, chopping drum beat. It’s a perfect start for some killer headbanging but then the song slows down, gaining more power if not momentum until it leads into-
“Slumlord”-a blast of hardcore drums combined with growling death vocals is how this song makes its presence known. While zig zagging guitars create an aggressive wall of sound. “Decrepit/ Decayed/ On the verge of collapse/ Corroded/ Diseased/ Vermin scouring the streets.” The song slows down with a staggered discharge of passionate venom with gloomy guitars and bellowing vocals. What started as a lot of quick jabs to the head has switched up to some hard hits to the gut. The guitar chugs along in a solid groove with the drums till the end. “This world sickens me.” But this song makes everything right.
“Nomad” starts with some grinding chords until a thundering beat comes on followed by some intense, death vocals. Soon the beat picks up with some cutting, slashing, metal riff-age as the rhythm section pounds relentlessly on. “Wandering/ Roaming/ A ceaseless road/ Littered with insecurity.” It slows down to the beginning rhythm again but losing none of it’s intensity or menace. “Isolated/ A forgotten nomad/ I am lost/ And drifting aimlessly.” A nice riff floats over the penetrating rhythm until towards the end when it all moves along like a wounded animal.
Some heavy, thick chords along with some brutal bass do a stop and go rhythm to lead off “Smolder” until the drums cymbals approach along with a guttural grunt or two setting up a moderate, wicked groove. “Dismal/ Endless days prolong/ All the same/ Drudge until death/ Life is abysmal,” continues the cheery sentiments of the last tunes. Then the guitar hits one high, discordant note and time stands still for a moment. And when it moves again we’re off on a hardcore hellbent romp. “Restless/ Vehement/ Hostile/ Break is imminent.” The reigns are pulled up on the tempo. This time with a criss-crossing thrash riff along for the kicks. A nice headbanging metal groove leads us back to the beginning rhythm towards the ending of a great song that contains equal parts death metal, hardcore and a heavy Black Sabbath like rhythm, together creating one perfect whole.
Mourned is a metal/hardcore band. Mourned is the action of paying respect to something, or someone, loved and lost. It’s an action of remorse or more so respect.
Mourned is not just something we desire. It’s something we had and lost, maybe not realizing its worth until it’s gone.
Is it our youth? Our innocence? Our belief in life? Or our fellow man? In our art? Whatever it was- it is lost and we wished we had it once again.
But Mourned is a great band from Boston that I believe is something you should like. And either way, it’s right now there in your reach.
And remember, when you think what you believed in before is gone, when you feel your beliefs are in fact, dead, you can be reborn again and this has nothing to do with religion. I know because it happened to me.
I believe Mourned is a band you should believe in now. And not wish that you once had.
(Slimedog)
