Mortuary Drape – Black Mirror Review

[Artwork by Chris Kiesling / Misanthropic-Art]

“Italians Do It Better:” A phrase worn on Madonna’s shirt in the 1986 video “Papa Don’t Preach.” Italians Do It Better: Also the name of Johnny Jewel’s all-analog, Italo disco / Synthpop record label which, consequently, was named after Madonna’s T-shirt. Could Madonna have known, though, that out of the cold caverns of Piedmont emerged a true beacon of evil that very same year? Perhaps she has been listening to The Drape all along…

Release date: October 28, 2023. Label: Peaceville Records.
Italians do just kind of have it in their blood, don’t they? Let’s forget about the macro momentarily. Set aside your fantasies of sitting in a foggy underground cave sipping Braulio after skiing in Italy’s mountains. Forgo the delicious, garlic-stuffed food, the fine wine, the historic art, and the melodious sonnets of love and lust coming from the mouths of models of high fashion, beckoning you to partake in an unforgettable affair. There is just something Italian’s have, and the occult is no different. Hell, it’s ground zero for the occult! And it is through that lens, and that lens alone, that we will observe the legendary Mortuary Drape’s latest offering, Black Mirror, the second full-length effort from the latest lineup Mr. Wildness Perversion pieced together back in 2010.

The first wave of black metal is something that tends to be somewhat enigmatic the more one attempts to set confines upon the style, but if it was to be properly defined, I’d say that 1985 is a fairly solid pinpoint given that Bathory’s The Return…… and Celtic Frost’s To Mega Therion were released that year. The Italians were no strangers to heavy, occult oriented metal at that time, though. Death SS formed in 1977, and although the theatrical Italian legends never released anything near the importance of Mercyful Fate’s material, that proto-black element must have been strong in Italy’s underground circles. Paul Chain’s Violet Art of Improvisation was actually recorded in-part before Fate’s EP, even though it didn’t see a proper release until eight years later. Regardless, Mortuary Drape formed at a time when the building blocks had been freshly laid out, and as a result, the band’s original run of releases with its classic lineup proved to be as strong as anything from the Nordic or Czech scenes that worshipped the same specific time in extreme music.

In jest, it’s a fun activity to apply Sam Raimi’s Necronomicon lore to how in the shit humans started playing music that sounds like mid 80s’ black metal. Young Beherit, for example, gives off the impression that they tripped over it on a boy scout camping adventure and jokingly read aloud from it until those snuggly little blondies summoned far too much evil than they could handle. Goatlord, on the other hand, strikes me as the type of band that went on a treasure hunt for the book knowing full-well what it was capable of unleashing. The Czech bands like Root, especially considering Big Boss being into Satanism before Venom even formed as a band, could have actually written the godforsaken thing. The Italians, though? They didn’t need a book to tell them how to conjure evil. They’re far too impulsive and far too hot-blooded. No, no, the Italians were already a living embodiment of it. For their part, Mortuary Drape has always played like a certain type of darkness lives in their blood, and they do it with much proficiency and much aplomb.

Being the band’s only original member, Wildness Perversion’s persistence and dedication to the first wave sound has proven itself over the course of three completely full lineup turnovers. Equally as impressive as his riveting live vocal performances (I believe he’s the first metal vocalist to consistently sing from an altar) is the fact that he’s managed to steer The Drape’s ship consistently while not playing guitars or bass. He does, however, handle some of the drumming duties, and since gaining a cast with more noticeably stellar musical capabilities post-Buried in Time—a worthy release that is still the band’s weakest partially due to its lack of brevity—Mortuary Drape has managed to effectively emulate the intricate guitar solos of All the Witches Dance, while keeping things upbeat in the same manner as Witches’ descendant, Secret Sudaria. I’ve always thought of Mercyful Fate’s Shermann and Denner as the yin to Maiden’s Murray and Smith’s yang; the former being the Satanic, minor chord-obsessed version of the latter. It’s abundantly clear in the band’s songwriting that Mortuary Drape’s classic lineup always took after the Shermann / Denner model of constructing guitar melodies, but the intricacies and skill level present in those first two full-lengths were less obvious in all that followed. Until Spiritual Independence came along in 2014, that is. You can just look at that album cover and know Wildness was up to his old ways again. Admit it: You decided that album was going to be a depraved triumph just by looking at the artwork.

What Black Mirror gives us, aside from a Mortuary Drape that sounds like it’s still living in its heyday, is very minute hints of the progressive / power side of things. Not nearly enough to take away from the classic sound that is surely intended and well executed, but just enough to keep things sounding interesting enough to merit numerous listens. I’m assuming that Simone Cappato is mostly to thank here, since his other two bands from the past are Controsigillo, a progressive thrash project that hasn’t been very active lately, and Drakkar, a Gamma Ray-inspired power metal band. What’s most impressive isn’t merely Cappato’s ability to play like a bassist that can effortlessly execute Control Denied tracks, but rather the whole band’s ability to conceal them tightly enough within the darkness so that they don’t overtake any of the good ol’ satanic fun. Lead guitarist Simone Rendina is equally as competent. His solos are well-placed without dominating any track other than the album’s final one (which is the intent), and he and rhythm guitarist Dario Chiereghin’s fret-dancing partnership will hopefully be as long lasting as it is well oiled.

As a result of all the skillfulness and cohesion that W.P. has been able to further harness, what we’re getting in Mortuary Drape’s sixth full-length is a more honed-in version of the surprise that was Spiritual Independence. Through the lens of this new offering, listeners will enjoy revisiting its predecessor and re-discovering the more difficult-to-find musical attributes of the individual band members that are more audaciously put on display this go-round. Mind you, this is still The Drape we’re talking about. Sure the devil is in the details, but the whole thing is as devilish as we’ve all been hoping for.

Although it is customary to point out some standout tracks, I need to preface the typical bullshit with the promise that all Mortuary Drape fans are going to enjoy this album. Gone are the days of ‘90s-length interludes to make a band’s music seem mysterious and creepy, but if it’s the solos and creative riffs you love about All the Witches Dance, there are plenty to go around on Black Mirror, as the album’s first two tracks and final few tracks were written to ensure keeping the debut’s haunting and mysterious atmosphere was of utmost importance to the entire lineup. If you want the more bouncy style of black metal that veers much closer to death metal and thrash much like Secret Sudaria, look no further than songs such as “Ritual Unction” or “Into the Oblivion.” And if Tolling 13 Knell is your jam, you’re absolutely going to love Cappato’s bass playing on tracks like “Nocturnal Coven” and “Mistress of Sorcerer.” “Rattle Breath,” however, takes the cake for those most looking forward to entering W.P.’s funhouse of vocal horrors.

The bottom line here is that the underground metal scene is standing at the feet of former students—back in 1986, when Celtic Frost, Mercyful Fate, Quorthon, and other creators of the extreme were at the very forefront of the extreme music scene—and these former students have now become masters. I’d even be willing to bet that the Drape’s newer musicians’ greatest influences heading into the studio are probably the first few Mortuary Drape albums. Either that, or they’re just Italian; they know the drill because they grew up on all of this. Satan’s secrets run through their veins. His voice is made manifest in their cries and their shrieks. There’s an intuition they have that is ingrained in them—the knowledge to do their Dark Lord’s bidding—and its potency is palpable… its darkness is dastardly… its wickedness wanton. What am I saying? They don’t need volumes and tomes of history! Italians simply do it better!

Posted by Konrad Kantor

Staff Bartender -- I also write about music on occasion. Fuck Twitter.

  1. Love the Drape

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  2. Mortuary Drape is back. Their first album is a trip. How many metal bands that started in 1986 are still going, besides them? Maybe Venom?

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  3. […] World Past Hope and Fear. The best K. K., Konrad Kantor has you covered with a Black Mirror review here, and El Capitan does the same for A World Past Hope and Fear here. Finally, our winner this month […]

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