The band has a history that stretches back to 1989. They are credited as being one of the grandfathers of death metal even though they never gained the popularity of those that would follow them. After much turmoil and an extended lay-off the band decided to reunite around 2003 and put together the album that you are reading about. Then the death of lead singer John McCarthy put the project on hiatus. Founder and guitarist John Alexander shelves the project for awhile but it would not go away. Finally enlisting Mirai Kawashima, lead singer of Sigh to fill the void left by McCarthy's passing, the record is completed and the world is plunged into the sludge pit of oozing doom/death metal that is the current habitat of Post Mortem.
Their move to a more sludgy, doom style hits you early on this disc. "The End is the End (Message from the Dead)" is a tortured work that opens up the pits of hell for the rest of this album to follow. I am sure that McCarty would have approved of what Mirai does on this one penned by drummer Rick McIvar and also the remainder of the album. Yes, there is a message from the dead on here as John McCarty is credited with the lyrics on six of the eleven songs.
The guys pump it up a little for the next pair of songs "Dana Hersey" and "Crispy Monsters" before slowing it down to an a crawl for the dirge "Human Pinata" and the equally slow paced funeral procession called "Pray Before You Die". From there the band gives you more of the same in varying degrees. If there is any complaint about the album is that by the time you get to the second half it seems like you have already heard this stuff before. While they do try to keep it entertaining, they stay within a very narrow band which is fine as long as you are in the mood for it. Just don't expect much, if any, assortment of style, it isn't happening with this band.
The bonus tracks are a mixed bag of songs from the disc with different vocalist involved. The packaging with the CD does not give you the breakdown of the songs but it is not hard to figure out. This is kind of interesting to hear the way that each singer approaches the music with some being similar to Kawashima and some quite different.
I doubt if this album is going to make anybody change their mind about Post Mortem. If you liked them before then this is going to be your cup of tea. It is a good example of what they do and this disc is one of the best collections that have their name on it. I get the feeling that they had more than just a little fun making this album and the tongue-in-cheek approach makes it a worthwhile addition.
Track listing:
1. Message From the Dead
2. Dana Hersey
3. Crispy Monsters
4. Human Pinata
5. Pray Before You Die
6. Field Trip
7. Never Rat
8. Babble On
9. A Happy Life
10. Forthright Tuna
11. Oh So Evil
Bonus Tracks
12. Message From the Dead (Mike Perun vocals)
13. Field Trip (Ryan Travis vocals)
14. Never Rat (Mike Keller vocals)
15. A Happy Life (Alex Bijazic vocals)
16. Oh So Evil (Seth Putnam vocals)
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