MORTA HIT HARD AND DON’T LET UP

Thrash-picked guitars, ugly grooves, and hardcore energy packed into 14 minutes

MORTA’s Life Is War, War Is Now feels less like a polished metal release and more like being dropped straight into a filthy basement show.

This is my first time hearing MORTA, and the first thing that grabs me is how physical these songs feel. The

guitars don’t just sit there chugging. They switch between fast, sharp thrash runs and these thick, ugly death-metal riffs that suddenly drag everything down. “Dread” is a great example. At around 165 BPM, it moves like a hardcore song played at thrash speed, with a rough vocal attack that makes the whole thing feel genuinely pissed off.

“Hivemind” gives the guitars more room to breathe, and I really like the contrast. Then “Soul Dwell” locks into a much nastier, slower groove. That change in momentum is probably my favorite part of the record.

“Harness” is where MORTA really stretch their legs. At 4:09, it’s more than twice as long as “Dread,” so the band gets to sit inside those heavier sections instead of constantly sprinting forward. “Omen” then snaps everything back into a short, frantic finish.

I also like the progression from the 2021 demo, where MORTA were credited with one guitarist handling guitar/bass, to this record’s two-guitar lineup. There’s clearly more room for riff layering here.

First listen, and the riffs are what stuck with me.

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