Metal Storm logo
Mors Principium Est - Dawn Of The 5th Era review



Reviewer:
8.0

365 users:
8.43
Band: Mors Principium Est
Album: Dawn Of The 5th Era
Release date: November 2014


01. Enter The Asylum
02. God Has Fallen
03. Leader Of The Titans
04. We Are The Sleep
05. Innocence Lost
06. I Am War
07. Monster In Me
08. Apricity
09. Wrath Of Indra
10. The Journey
11. The Forsaken

Staving off doubts given their frequency of line-up changes, Mors Principium Est consistently prove themselves to be a vital name in melodic death metal. Not for reasons of clear originality of style, but vital for their shared vitality, a remarkable feat considering the rate at which their rhythm guitars switch hands.

Proficiency for melody remains at an all time high, such being a crucial factor for a band that relies on the simple and direct effectiveness of supported guitar leads as their mainstay. Tight control over melodic construction is formidably consistent throughout the record, providing melodic death metal in a classic Gothenburg style, a style here represented in a manner that validates the stabilising influence of classic In Flames and Dark Tranquillity within the genre. With the former's melodic ship well and truly sunk, it's Mors Principium Est that prove to be an integral and reliable outfit in the continuity of clean-cut melodic death metal.

Symphonic elements aren't an especially original feature in the genre, though their usage in Dawn Of The 5th Era is effectively used as an enhancing element which is never overstated or prominent enough to the point of receiving distracting emphasis. The emphasis is always on the guitars, without attempts to stray outside a typical album format, as remarkably well performed and decisively written as it is. Even in the short key found reprieve of "Apricity," the guitars continue the resilient and undeterred focus that the band has clearly set for themselves, which is soon reignited with the high tempo melodic outburst in "Wrath Of Indra."

The energetic pace throughout the record is persistent and persuasive, delivering at a driving tempo and easily reaching its ends and aims without displaying, nor attempting to display, any generically resourceful components or unique flair to its frame. This is not to suggest that it lacks flair; the band's style being direct and to the point melodic death metal, in a way that's been done before, but not always in such a tightly managed effort as Dawn Of The 5th Era. Mors Principium Est leave little room for error in terms of playing melodic death metal according to precedent, resulting in a record remarkable for its consistency.

Underlying bass reverb and a strong drumming performance provide the foundations for a continually driving rhythm section, allowing the guitars to weave bolstered melody after bolstered melody with no point of stagnation or slip-up. The approach is seamless and few frills, with the production amplifying the focus on the decisive twin guitar forefront.

It's for good reason that Mors Principium Est remain a staple of the Gothenburg style, which they continue to deliver undeterred in Dawn Of The 5th Era.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 8
Songwriting: 8
Originality: 5
Production: 8





Written on 18.12.2014 by R'Vannith enjoys music, he's hoping you do too.


Comments

Comments: 14   Visited by: 240 users
18.12.2014 - 07:00
WyrM

Just straight up quality Melodic Death Metal. These guys know what they do well and that's what they do. Great MDM entry for the year.
Loading...
18.12.2014 - 07:03
WyrM

And, these guys just have like a magically bag with unlimited killer lead riffs in it, it's ridiculous!
Loading...
18.12.2014 - 08:19
Rating: 9
Darth Revan

Melodic death has never been a genre blessed with originality as you pointed out, but Mors Principium Est blew most of their peers out of the water with this one. Moreover, they definitely made their best album since the Unborn (and in my opinion, Dawn of the 5th Era surpasses that album as well, though your mileage may vary, naturally).
Loading...
18.12.2014 - 20:01
Rating: 10
DonMoenning

I agree with your review, very well written! However, despite "originality" not being super high, Mors Principium Est is basically the pinnacle of melodic death metal nowadays, and Dawn of the 5th Era is arguably their finest record.

Don't you think a score higher than 8 is in order? Or does Melodic Death as a style have a max cap of 8/10? Performance, songwriting, and production are nearly perfect for this style of music. Extremely tight, hyper energetic performance by all members, memorable songs with wonderful flow, and a crystal clear and powerful mix... What must a band possibly do to rate higher than 8's in these categories if this album doesn't?
Loading...
19.12.2014 - 16:51
BlueMobius
Account deleted
This has been in my CD player since my copy arrived on Tuesday. I'm pretty impressed with this one. The band losing their main songwriter and lead guitarist after "Liberation=Termination" had me skeptical.the last album was technically proficient but not very memorable. I wrote that off though with hopes that it would just take some time for the newlead guitarist to mesh with the group, and it seems that he has. Really great stuff on Dawn. I really like the subtleties too.
Loading...
20.12.2014 - 02:47
Rating: 9
bladefall

Written by DonMoenning on 18.12.2014 at 20:01

Extremely tight, hyper energetic performance by all members, memorable songs with wonderful flow, and a crystal clear and powerful mix... What must a band possibly do to rate higher than 8's in these categories if this album doesn't?


1.More guitar work in the chorus,like "We Are The Sleep" and "I Am War".Not Post Rock-style like "God Has Fallen"、"Innocence Lost" and "The Journey".
Of course I admit this kind of chorus sounds not bad at all,but it's hard to get in for some people.Good guitar work can always impress everyone,especially for melodeath.

2.One mind-blowing track,like "Pure" to "The Unborn" or "Dead Winds Of Hope" to "...And Death Said Live".This album lacks one super killer though most of the songs from it are very good.

If they can do these two points,this album will be perfect,not just great.
Maybe my requirements are too high,but MPE is my favorite melodeath band and I wish they can become better and better all the time.
Loading...
20.12.2014 - 03:01
Rating: 8
R'Vannith
ghedengi
Written by DonMoenning on 18.12.2014 at 20:01

I agree with your review, very well written! However, despite "originality" not being super high, Mors Principium Est is basically the pinnacle of melodic death metal nowadays, and Dawn of the 5th Era is arguably their finest record.

Don't you think a score higher than 8 is in order? Or does Melodic Death as a style have a max cap of 8/10? Performance, songwriting, and production are nearly perfect for this style of music. Extremely tight, hyper energetic performance by all members, memorable songs with wonderful flow, and a crystal clear and powerful mix... What must a band possibly do to rate higher than 8's in these categories if this album doesn't?


This is a strong record indeed, a score of 8 being appropriate for it given the quality of performance and song writing, as I've already stated, hindered primarily by lack of originality, otherwise the score would have seen an increase. There is no cap for melodic death metal, or any genre.

Originality is a determining factor in how I assess music, a lack of originality places certain limitations on song writing, despite its effectiveness within generic limitations. Performance-wise, this band are very tight, being "hyper energetic" as you describe it, but the performance is centred on the guitars to which point the other instruments and the vocals are less remarkable, despite the supportive basis they provide to the music. A strong performance as a whole, and as a band unit, but not equally remarkable individually. The guitar performance is certainly the focus, and is obviously made to be the focus (hardly surprising given the genre in question), and that's the band's greatest strength which they evidently capitalise on here, the songs clearly being written for that purpose.

The production, too, serves the same purpose well, with the guitars being mixed loud and clear at the front, though to the inaudibility of distinct bass lines which provide only a supportive component in the sound (a common complaint and problem, I know, but one that's relevant here just as it is in many other cases).
Loading...
20.12.2014 - 19:16
Rating: 9
ScottyM

Written by R'Vannith on 20.12.2014 at 03:01

... a score of 8 being appropriate for it given the quality of performance and song writing, as I've already stated, hindered primarily by lack of originality, otherwise the score would have seen an increase.


I agree that 8 seems about proportionate for this album, pretty much for the reasons you describe. Originality is indeed a limiting factor here, as it has been for some time for this genre. A while back, melodic death metal started introducing clean vocals, that's an original concept for the genre. After that wore thin, female backing vocals were introduced, another original concept for the genre. At some point, synthesizers came along, an original concept. The problem is swiftly becoming that if any new original concepts are added to an album, on top of all the aforementioned transformations, it's no longer melodic death metal. Look at In Flames; they pioneered a lot in their time, and now they've changed so much to stay fresh they're hard pressed to even fall under the category of metal. They've found new audiences all along, and they remain successful, but it's not something I'm going to gravitate towards.

I like Mors Principium Est for the fact that they remain on the straight and narrow as far as style. They have a proven track record of being one of, if not today's premier example of traditional Gothenburn metal brought into the 21st century, and they don't show any desire to stray. I'll take it!

Written by R'Vannith on 20.12.2014 at 03:01

The production, too, serves the same purpose well, with the guitars being mixed loud and clear at the front, though to the inaudibility of distinct bass lines which provide only a supportive component in the sound (a common complaint and problem, I know, but one that's relevant here just as it is in many other cases).


I would actually say this is probably my chief complaint on this album, but it's a small one considering how much I enjoy it. I do appreciate hearing the synthesizers and symphonics in the background, but they are far and few between. I can't hear the bassist for anything at any point in the album, and as nice as it is to see a fast-paced, in-your-face album from start to finish, a little bit of deviation would have been a welcomed reprieve to reset the adrenaline before throwing it back in your face again. If there's one thing I've loved about Mors Principium Est in the past, it's their ability to add in some blind-siders for intros to songs. Examples being The Animal Within from Liberation = Termination or The Unborn's title track. For what I consider the perfect balance of keyboards and guitars, Pure from The Unborn, God I still love that intro and can feel my pulse rise as it goes from single bass drum to double. I thought the intro song to this album is one of the coolest little intros I had heard on an album like this in some time, but it's the only time in the album you hear anything like it. Those kinds of curve balls just don't exist on this album. Had those made it into the album more than once, and more emphasis were made to balance the guitars with the keyboards and bass, I think this album could have pushed well over 9, if not put The Unborn ten feet under.
Loading...
21.12.2014 - 04:16
bianchang

Written by bladefall on 20.12.2014 at 02:47

Written by DonMoenning on 18.12.2014 at 20:01

Extremely tight, hyper energetic performance by all members, memorable songs with wonderful flow, and a crystal clear and powerful mix... What must a band possibly do to rate higher than 8's in these categories if this album doesn't?


1.More guitar work in the chorus,like "We Are The Sleep" and "I Am War".Not Post Rock-style like "God Has Fallen"、"Innocence Lost" and "The Journey".
Of course I admit this kind of chorus sounds not bad at all,but it's hard to get in for some people.Good guitar work can always impress everyone,especially for melodeath.

2.One mind-blowing track,like "Pure" to "The Unborn" or "Dead Winds Of Hope" to "...And Death Said Live".This album lacks one super killer though most of the songs from it are very good.

If they can do these two points,this album will be perfect,not just great.
Maybe my requirements are too high,but MPE is my favorite melodeath band and I wish they can become better and better all the time.

I will add the third point:The clearer bass line.Their bass isn't very outstanding in comparison with the guitar and drum,especially in this album
Loading...
23.12.2014 - 01:12
MHOE

Listened to this like 5x-6x already... Not really on par with ...And death said live unfortunately. Still a solid record, maybe the second best one for me. But nowhere near as good as their previous effort.
Loading...
16.01.2015 - 03:44
Rating: 6
Spanishkiller

Maybe I'm getting old, but if this is the best 2014's melodeath can offer me, I believe I'm not into melodeath anymore.
Loading...
09.03.2018 - 15:13
Rating: 10
Wes

Not understanding the 5 for originality. This is PURE Mors Principium Est. Good luck finding similar melodies elsewhere.
Loading...
11.05.2018 - 21:52
Rating: 10
rps

Written by Wes on 09.03.2018 at 15:13

Not understanding the 5 for originality. This is PURE Mors Principium Est. Good luck finding similar melodies elsewhere.


So true...5 is total bullshit. What similar albums are out there that they copied? The tempo the rhythm, the intricacies. This was a once in a lifetime masterpiece.
Loading...
06.11.2020 - 19:53
UPDIRNS

The reviewer has strong opinions of this genre, band and album. They aren't bad opinions other than originality. I strongly disagree with his view regarding this album. I find it to be original especially for the genre, but not polarizing. I'd give the originality an 8 which to me is VG.
7- Good
8- VG
9- Excellent
10- Historic

I'd rate the rest of the album 9's for a total score of 35 or 8.75 overall. Rounded to 8.8. I feel that's a deserving score for an excellent album and my favorite of theirs and a top 5 all-time melodeath album. MPE is now IMO the crown jewel of the genre. Their newest album Seven is excellent as well and the more I listen to it the more I love it. To me that's the testament of a truly great album. One that doesn't wear down or become boring, but one that you cannot stop listening to.

I'd like to end my comment by stating that I absolutely love the songs God Has Fallen and I Am War (they resonate with me, the energy, the flow of the songs, the aggression!!!). I coach football and last year when I headed to a game I'd crank that up and it would set me straight ready for battle.
Loading...

Hits total: 6491 | This month: 14