Among the Mortals- Of Ignorance and Dismissal

Among the Mortals is a melodic death metal band from Finland that formed way back in 1997. This is the bands first full-length release in their time together, that may seem like a huge gap and it is, but that is not to say that the band has been sitting around scratching their asses for all these years. They have released a demo and an EP since their forming and had also been on hold from 2002 to 2005. In the early stages the band featured more members. The band is now a two piece, Luosujärvi handles vocals, guitar, bass, and keyboards on the album while Hanhisuanto handles drum duties. Upon first listen it is clear to see these guys harness a great amount of talent and after every listen this album just gets better and better.

Among the Mortals has an extremely epic sound that holds the listener's attention without fail the entire near hour that this album clocks in.The guitar playing here is intricate and doesn't loose any of it's intensity with the heavily melodic sound pouring out of the amplifier. The instrumental pieces are pure nirvana. The playing creates a cascading tour de force of emotion fall upon the listener. The second the sound of the amazing playing hit your ears it is pure bliss from then on. Every second of this album is enthralling, whether the pace be slow and devastating (intro to "A Dream Like None") or filled with speedy melodies ("Weep, You Lifeless"). Every note is delivered with machinelike precision yet it all seems so natural.

The vocals vary in style. There is an odd sounding, shrill scream and a standard shriek being used throughout the majority of Of Ignorance And Dismissal. The vocal approach used is very reminiscent of none other than prog masters Augury. The vocals fit perfectly and add to the already mystical sound featured. The drumming drives the album along at a consistent pace. There is enough variety here to keep the performance as fresh as possible and it is without a doubt very refreshing to hear a band submitting music that feature a human taking care of drum duties.

Overall Among the Mortals is one of the few melodic death metal bands around that can keep the listener on the edge of their seat. In terms of metal and just music in general it doesn't get much more epic than this. Highly recommended for fans of metal that can handle harsh vocals, this release is easy to digest for those just getting into the genre and entertaining enough to keep the seasoned listeners coming back for more. Get it.