Mortals

Metal Archives points out that, "At the beginning the band played metallic punk, then a mix of sludge metal and hardcore; after that they progressed towards black/sludge metal."

Caryn Havlik, Kristen Nosek and Lesley Wolf also play in the all female Slayer tribute band Slaywhore.

Contact: mortalstheband@gmail.com

Caryn Havlik Drums

Lesley Wolf Vocals, Bass

Elizabeth Cline Vocals, Guitars

discography:

Encyclopedia of Myths Full-length 2009

Savanger EP 2010

Night Terror Demo 2011

Death Ritual EP 2012

Cursed to See the Future Full-length 2014

Mortals / Repellers Split 2015

Metal Archives has the following review of Mortals' "Cursed to See the Future." By Kain_x_X

Coming from Brooklyn, NY, Mortals is a trio playing sludge metal in vein of Dark Castle but favoring black over doom metal.

After the first minute of "View from a Tower" the first word coming to my mind was: wrathful. Both ladies handling the vocals sound as if they drunk a mouthful of some rotgut and then started spewing venom all around. They sound vitriolic to the bone which perfectly befits the music and coincidentally is one of my most beloved vocal styles.

Basically, what we have here is guitar-driven sludge with a profound inclination towards black metal. The latter is prominent in the aforementioned screams, raspy guitar tone, and song structures. The riffs are quite fast-paced and devoid of High on Fire-esque stoner motifs. Since the songs usually range from 7 to 9 minutes in length, the black metal parts are what constitutes a large portion of repeated mid-tempo riffs (contrary to other sludge bands that often incorporate doomy sections when they want to slow down). After such a sluggish fill, Mortals go back to their usual riff onslaught and galloping drums (C. Havlik gives us a true masterpiece of a performance). This pattern is present throughout the album and certainly makes it cohesive.

The only downside of "Cursed to See the Future" seems to be the fact that some songs are tad too long and seem to drag. I believe that cutting those songs to 6 minutes would make the album more dynamic. Other than that, everything is just the way it should be in this particular metal genre. Mortals provide us with a strong album, full of crushing riffs, remarkable drum work, and furious vocals. The atmosphere is dense and overwhelming, especially after a glance at the artwork one can have only dark and sordid images in his or her mind.

"Cursed to See the Future" is a powerful display of decadent sounds and their prolific execution. Highly recommended for any blackened sludge fans out there.

Listen to the music here.

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