Mors Principium Est: Embers of a Dying World

Finnish melodic death metal veterans Mors Principium Est are back with a new album, titled Embers of a Dying World. It’s the band’s sixth full-length album, and once again finds the band dealing with turnover in their lineup. This time around they’re a four-piece, losing second guitarist Kevin Verlay.

Mors Principium Est is more or less Finland’s answer to the whole Gothenburg melodic death metal scene. Their sound is very much influenced by the classic At the Gates, Hypocrisy and Dark Tranquillity albums, though over the course of six albums the band has established their own brand of melodic death metal. Embers of a Dying World has pretty much everything you could want in a melodic death metal album: wicked melodies, intricate rhythms, articulate growled vocals that are just dripping with emotion, and just enough keyboards to enhance an already dark atmosphere.

One the introductory track concludes, “Reclaim the Sun” kicks this album off in an unforgettable way. Other highlights on Embers of a Dying World include the sinister “Into the Dark,” the doom/deathlike epics “Death is Just the Beginning” and “The Ghost,” and the closing “Apprentice of Death.” The whole album is strong though, and proof that melodic death metal is still alive and well.

As good as Mors Principium Est’s last album (2014’s Dawn of the 5th Era) was (and it was really good), Embers of a Dying World may be the band’s best album to date. It’s exactly the kind of album fans of Dark Tranquillity, Hypocrisy, Words of Farewell, Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum are going to want to start the year with.

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