Awestruck by the pillar of gore erected from horrifying pits of poisoned drainage and fevered to feed from the slippery musculature bobbing in the reeking overflow before their eyes Kitee, Finland-based death metal trio MORBIFIC howl through rotten throats in signaling peak primal engorgement. Reared up and scanning the horizon for more meat these folks’ third full-length album ‘Bloom of the Abnormal Flesh‘ once again offers pure underground death metal sounds from a state of coherent yet personalized render, a bruiser of a riff record given sonic lustre worthy of their tightened instrumentation increasingly cruel style. Here their ‘old school’ guided hand finds its superior groove, their meanest rhythms to date in fine-tuning an ugliest rot-obsessed species apart.

Morbific formed circa 2020 and by mid-September of that year they’d chunked out a serious demo tape (‘Pestilent Hordes‘, 2020) with a taste for ancient and disturbed garage level death metal of the Autopsy-esque vein with some blown out Impetigo level chunder going on. I’d always heard a certain amount of late 80’s UKDM in their sound but obviously early Finnish stuff referenced (Funebre, Disgrace, etc.) had some of that post-‘Reek of Putrefaction‘ freakery in its blood, too. Hair-spitting death-doom and Undergang worthy bap helped the tape to stand out, or at least make a notable first impression as an old school aimed mid-paced band with a cool enough sound. They’d wasted zero time hitting the studio for a first LP (‘Ominous Seep of Putridity‘, 2021) which I’d praised as one of the best of May that year, though they’d gotten lost in the fray of that pandemia-inflated release schedule. Returning to the band’s debut today hits like a bulldozer, sluggish and broad in the squash of its riffs while also carrying a righteous, tanking mid-paced strut.

That first album set precedence in a couple of important ways, the first being an ugly and noxious underground tape-level sound tuned (or, mixed) by vocalist/bassist Jusa Janhonen who is also the main fellowe behind Sadistic Drive. The aesthetic of the band made great use of a painting from Chase Slaker of Mortiferum whose palette and detail of composition has increased over the years in tandem with Morbific‘s own work. When I’d reviewed their second LP (‘Squirm Beyond the Mortal Realm‘, 2022) I had to choose between complaining about the homespun sounding render of the album and appreciating the riffcraft and chose the latter, appreciating the broken and chunked-out sluice of their work. I don’t mind a stylized production value and they’ve obviously got some love for like, Mortician and fucked up old brutal shit but the more classics-minded Morrisound meets pre-1995 Colin Richardson death metal production values (re: ‘Diabolical Summoning‘, Gorefest ‘False‘, etc.) applied to ‘Bloom of the Abnormal Flesh‘ does so much more for the band’s still evolving material. I won’t overstate myself here but they’ve nailed the right sound for the riffs we find on this album.

You’ve already heard at least one of these songs and gotten a preview of how Morbific‘s jib is cracking on this album to some degree via the ‘Promethean Mutilation‘ (2024) 7″ via the title track but a lot happened to that song between February and October of 2024 and this result is shambling and fucked but today that EP hits more like a pre-production demo in direct comparison via the version of “Promethean Mutilation” on ‘Bloom of the Abnormal Flesh‘ where the song becomes a one choice link among many an unbreakable chain of insane riffs, one after another hitting a thrashing early Obituary-esque drawl with its hard groove and ghoul-ass vocals. That song’ll hit on the walk through Side A and make itself known well enough but the stumbling forth buzz-and-snap through the awkward riffs of opener “Smut Club (For the Chosen Scum)” doesn’t fall upon its sword and gear up some interesting gore right away. It isn’t ’til the keyboards hit ~2:00 minutes in that shit starts firing off and the elastic taut groove of that main riff indicates where Morbific are riding out with this record. All ten songs beyond that point are bigger beasts by comparison but this album is firing hot-bopping shit with all pipes blazing right from the first note.

Feels like flesh… — I intend no hyperbole when suggesting “Panspermic Blight” might be one of the best simply struck ear kicking ‘old school’ style death metal riffs I’ve heard in years, recalling the big push of ‘Utopia Banished‘-era Napalm Death, ancient brutal death gore, and some fine-ass touches such as the pitch shifted puke layers (~3:08 minutes in) and retching in the last section of the song. Morbific‘s streak starts there and does not relent, not even for the interstitial/shorter pieces along their dreaded path. I’d been particularly stuck on the watery grave of brutality dug via “Menagerie of Grotesque Trophies” as a mutant stampede of ‘old school’ Finnish death metal sounds and slow-hopped, pinch-harmonic scratching movement. This is not the only sign of the ‘new old school’ ideation on this album but they’ve at least finished the thought and made a horror of the walk out. Again, there isn’t a song on this album I’d skipped over in my notes on because it all smokes front to back but you’ll definitely want to check out what hijinks they’re up on on the second half before the full thumbs up treatment.

Before I’d hit Side B for the first time and in the midst of the doomed-out stretch of doomed-out slow suffocating thunder of “Womb of Deathless Deterioration (Trapped in the Essence of Putrescence)” (see also: title track/closer) I was already mulling over why I’d not been all that impressed with Morbific before but now find this new album a full light year beyond what they’d done in the past. The big deal here is probably the production values for me, not only the sound of it but how guitarist Olli Väkeväinen wields the huge yet still ragged guitar tone in inventive ways beyond the pure ‘old school’ shuffle and the hop of ‘modern underground’ permutations. From that point ‘Bloom of the Abnormal Flesh‘ only gets more brutal (“Crusading Necrotization“) and kinda fuckin’ weird per its late album deeper cuts…

I was not at all sure about the ska style tromp into “Hydraulic Slaughter” but as I’d revisited it over time it’d basically serve as a memorable totem, one of the more unique grooves on the record, and a song that seems like it’d play well to a crowd. If this album is going to throw a big dumb groove at you at least it smacks of a catchier early 90’s groove most of the time. It isn’t as much of a killer as some earlier highlights on the album it feels like Morbific intentionally broadened their scope on the second half of this this album rather than riding the wave as they had on the previous LP. You’ll at least feel it by the time “From Inanimate Dormancy” hits its Gorefest level (or just mid-90’s USDM) bruise with all the odd lines it draws through its main riff but at this point they’ve already pushed out several trust-fall worthy riffs that end up going somewhere unholy. I’d trusted they’d take each song somewhere wild no matter how cross-eyed any given opening phrase might be, ska-death and otherwise.

Even if you weren’t charmed by the scuzz fed sounds and scummed-up trappings of Morbific prior most any pure death metal fan interested in mid-paced riff-focused menace should appreciate where ‘Bloom of the Abnormal Flesh‘ ultimately goes. While you might think you’re in for another style over substance gig outright these folks have hit a brilliant level of classicist craft here and managed to not sound like a stale imitation in the process. The only thing I’d say is I hope they go even weirder with the odd guitar tones, effects and creeped out ambiance in the future because it could do even more to characterize their own sound. This one was an instant killer for me, the rare death metal album I couldn’t wait to ride through again whether I was picking at each riff or just enjoying the roar of it all. A very high recommendation.

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