Album Review: Mourning Sign – Contra Mundum (Orchestrated Misery Recordings)

Sweden’s progressive death mongers Mourning Sign will release their third album, Contra Mundum on December 20th 2018 via Orchestrated Misery Recordings.

Having formed in 1992 near Hallstahammer, Sweden, the band quickly hit the studio with their debut recording Last Chamber, which helped secure a recording contract with the Italian label Godhead. The following year the band released the mini-CD Alienor (1993) followed by the self-titled Mourning Sign (1995) and Multiverse (1996) which set the standard for progressive death metal. Alas the following year the band simply went on hiatus.

Having reformed in 2016 Mourning Sign sought to continue their attitude and achievements, thus creating their third album, Contra Mundum (meaning in Latin to defy or oppose everyone else). Recorded in the year 2018, this release will be limited to only 500 copies.

We can be grateful to have Mourning Sign back if Contra Mundum is anything to go on. A crushingly heavy album layered with uplifting and inspirational elements of progressive metal. The latter turns mundane sounding ferocity into something far more special. Something that is immediately highlighted on the opener Dualism where the guitar medleys ring out loud and proud.

Covering in deep and distant darkness, Homage to a Dying World and Nest of Vipers continue the good work set up by the opener with staggering layers of metal. On the one hand it’s pure head banging gold but on the other it leaves you feeling like you need to analyse the riffs and the hooks to find every little complex detail hidden amongst them.

The solo in Sights of Woe is incredible, These Scars’ no-nonsense rhythmic brutality and Sleep’s wailing guitar intro that gives way to a thumping beat is finger-licking good. We even get some clean vocals here too which gives it a little bit of an ‘epic’ feel.

Quality stuff that doesn’t end there as White Light and The Devils We Adore wrap things up perfectly with raging fires of death metal technicality.

Mourning Sign – Conta Mundum Full Track Listing:

1. Dualism
2. Homage to a Dying World
3. Nest of Vipers
4. Sights of Woe
5. The Defiant Pupil
6. These Scars
7. Who Will Crown the King
8. Sleep
9. White Light
10. The Devils We Adore

You can pick up Mourning Sign’s music over on Bandcamp where the new album will also be available. Find out more and keep up to date with news by liking their Facebook Page.