Like many FDA Rekotz bands, California’s Morfin play old school death metal but, rather than the Swedish/Stockholm old school sound played by Harm, Wound, Revel in Flesh, Massive Assault etc , Morfin went right for an older, American influence similar to Skeletal Remains, Slaughterday, Deus Otiosus,  and Chapel of Disease: good ol’ Death.

And let me be clear a very specific era of Death: Largely (Ok, mostly Leprosy and a little Spiritual Healing, not Scream Bloody Gore or tech era Death. I could really flesh out this review and milk it for several hundred words, but I don’t need to. One simply needs to go to the last track on Inoculation to hear a note for note, growl for growl rendition of Leprosy‘s seminal title track to hear all you really need to hear. It’s almost indistinguishable from the original and that’s how good of an homage Morfin is. Right down to the  basic Rick Rozz guitars Terry Butler bass and sloppy Bill Andrews styled drumming.

That’s probably all you need to know about Inoculation. Vocalist/guitarist Jesus Romero has the early Schuldiner growl down to a goddamned T, and all of the songs, riffs, solos, lyrics and structures and production all harken to those two classic Death albums, no bones about it. It’s not even subtle, heck “Lethal Progeny” contains the line “Born with Diseases, Living Monstrosity”. But to the band’s credit, none of it comes across as a tired or lazy rip off, but a really dedicated, almost cover band-like homage and the fact tracks  like “Dark Creator”, “Inoculation”,  the aforementioned “Lethal Progeny”, “Cryostasis”,  and Viral Mutation” sound like lost Death tracks from those albums, is a testament to the grasp Morfin have on that sound.Kudos.

Chuck would have been proud. Or maybe sued. I’m not sure.

[Visit the band's website]

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