![fessus – pilgrims of morbidity [demo]](https://www.vm-underground.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Fessus-–-Pilgrims-Of-Morbidity-Demo-cover.jpg "Fessus – Pilgrims Of Morbidity [Demo]")
At the beginning of Autumn 2023, the rather fresh Austrian Death Metal outfit Fessus self-released their debut demo tape, ‘Pilgrims Of Morbidity’. It first came to my ear a few months later, but didn’t get around to writing a proper review on it, but now the demo was picked up by the Darkness Shall Rise Productions label from Germany, it is about time to give these tracks some well-deserved coverage.
The original demo tape comprised three tracks, combining into just under 14 minutes of music, that shows the band being a multi-headed monster. It clearly derives its influences from different angles and corners of the Death Metal genre, but in the process Fessus knows how to keep themselves far removed from being a direct copy of any band. There is some bits and pieces from various different bands, from old Cannibal Corpse to Purtenance and from Sinister to Autopsy, even some Entombed or Incantation is to be found back in the band’s DNA. Fessus is typically one of those bands that is not very easy to pinpoint, yet sounds thoroughly recognisable. Any Old School Death Metal fan will find something here that will make his or her heart beat faster. It is dynamic, with space for fast, almost staccato-like chopping, but also for more slow and menacing passages. The groove that so many love so much can also be found within the frames of each of these three songs. The eerie lead guitar work in the title track gives the music something of an elusive character. At least Fessus is offering something that feels different from the contemporary Death Metal scene, that I feel is getting a bit more of an exercise in repeating all things that have been done before without ever putting in anything of their own.
A nice, raw and gritty production is doing the rest and certainly makes ‘Pilgrims Of Morbidity’ a very worthwhile demo. It is not much of a surprise that a label showed interest and reissued these recordings. The label-released version find the live-tracks added from the ‘Threshold Of Morbidity’ live EP (recorded in January 2024) and shows how the band holds up on stage. Definitely worth checking out!
Darkness Shall Rise Productions
- Country: Germany
- Style: Black Metal, Death Metal
- Links: Homepage, Facebook, Instagram
