Codex Mortis – Tales of Woe | soundsfromthedarkside

Codex Mortis - Tales of Woe Dutch death/black/grind metallers Codex Mortis are back with their second sonic assault. We withstood the attack.

It has been a while since we’ve last heard of Dutch extreme metallers Codex Mortis. Their debut album was released back in 2021 and was approved of by yours truly. Now, three years later, the band from Amersfoort returns to the fray with a new extreme metal platter. Based upon true events, opening track Forsaken kicks open the door and takes no hostages either. Succint and to the point, this fast banger tells the story of the Spanish occupation of Haarlem back in 1573. It’s a fast and heavy banger the wastes no time in getting through proceedings in just over four minutes. An excellent opener to this album.

Forsaken is followed by the album’s first single, Capricious Ddisembodied Villain. Featuring a malicious blackened guitar riff that could have easily been on an early Dissection record, the song also impresses with a wonderful solo in the middle and a versatile performance by vocalist Dirk Willems, who easily alternates between black metal rasps and death grunts, and reminds me of Bal-Sagoth’s Byron Roberts on occasion. Chosen might be the highlight of the album. Starting off with a melancholy piano intro it quickly shifts into a mid-tempo banger that tells the tale of the captain of a fishing boat in 1915 who receives visions that the end of the world is nigh and he and his crew have to set sail to Jerusalem. Musically it’s a dark and heavy hitter.

Codex Mortis 2024

Trenched in Blood picks up the pace again with frantic riffing and a more death metal sensibility. It’s fast and furious and sports some excellent riffing. Fire, Screams and Death continues this frantic pace but keeps things interesting with a couple of unexpected breaks and tempo changes. Tales of Woe ends on another high note with It Dies With Me which is also high on fast-paced tremolo riffing, leaning more towards black metal than death.

Tales of Woe is an impressive if short sophomore effort. The band is clearly talented and knows what they’re doing very well. The 90’s black/death metal influences are laid on thick, with especially Dissection being a big influence, but Codex Mortis manage to create their own sound out of it. Coming in at about thirty minutes, Tales of Woe is impressively concise, and whilst I could have done with another song or two, it’s always better to cut whatever fat there is and release a stronger album. Definitely recommended for those who like their blackened death metal old school.

Label: Black Lion Records

Buy it here: https://codexmortisblacklion.bandcamp.com/album/tales-of-woe

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