Metal Underground.com

A self-recorded, self-produced one man death metal band sounds like it should be a recipe for a nearly unlistenable barrage of low quality noise that would be barely worthy of the label “music.” Coming along to completely shatter that expectation is the three track demo of selected tracks from “The Perfect Impurity” by Mortiferous Scorn. If the near professional studio level production and all around great playing of multiple instruments by a single individual weren’t shocking enough, the real kicker is that none of the songs on the demo are even close to boring, tired, or overdone. Home brew death metal seems like the last place to find real melody that actually fits in the song instead of being a minor distraction from the repetition of death metal brutality, but it’s inexplicably found here anyway.

“Diseased Reality” kicks the demo off immediately with a long barrage of blast beats that outpace and overpower the guitar. The guitars seems to almost be a backing instrument, meant to perform as secondary rhythm for the drums for the majority of the track. Not wanting to give the impression that the drums are the only thing worth hearing, the man behind Mortiferous Scorn goes off on an impressive display of guitar prowess at just past the halfway point of the song that could have worked quite well as a solo if the other instruments had been dropped for a moment. The mid-paced growling vocals stay equally away from the extremes of plodding boringness and overly fast screams that fly by too fast to understand, helping the song overcome the limitations of endless blast beats which can quickly lose their effectiveness when not tempered by other elements of the music.

The second song, “Chaotic Emptyness,” takes a different tack from the harsh brutality of the opener, beginning with a discordant yet melodic guitar riff with a very slick and cool vibe. A second heavier and more distorted guitar part is then layered over the first, working in a decidedly different direction than the original riff, gradually evolving into blaring death metal anarchy. The mysterious and toned down guitar parts give off just the barest taste of the mayhem that was present on the first song, greatly increasing appetite for the hardcore hate to come. Some of the vocals on “Chaotic Emptyness” briefly get the distortion treatment, making them seem more demonic and hellish than the standard low death growl present throughout the rest of the album. The vocals in general are enunciated with utmost care, so that even though the words themselves are delivered in a deep rasping growl, they can each be made out quite clearly by an attentive listener.

The best is most definitely saved for last, as the final song “Ashes” is easily the most intriguing track on the demo. Much like the song before it there is a melodic and somewhat mellow introduction, but instead of being unceremoniously dropped it is held onto as a recurring theme through the duration of the song, giving an otherwise vicious track a good grounding in a tranquil center that makes the violent lyrics all the more disturbing.

The short and sweet demo of “The Perfect Impurity” shows off a lot of talent in its quick run time, and has good doses of both the relentless beat downs demanded by hardcore fans of death metal and some more melodic meanderings that will be enjoyed by those who want something with a few moments of decreased intensity for contrast.