Deceased - Children of the Morgue

Deceased is an extreme metal band from Virginia who formed in 1985. “Children of the Morgue” is their 11th full-length album, although since their previous two were just cover albums, this is their first full-length of original material since 2018.  

They are one of the more original bands from the scene, their sound not strictly being only death metal. They also incorporate aspects of hardcore punk, thrash, and traditional metal into their repertoire. 

Despite its dynamic and eclectic musical path, “Children of the Morgue,” is a cohesive album with a decent flow from track to track. There are quite a few short tracks that act as interludes of sorts; they are of very degrees of style. 

"Turn To Wither,” is the best of them as it’s a riff focused instrumental that bridges the gap between two very good songs. With that being said, I could do without the other ones but, ultimately, they do serve their purpose. Regardless, the full songs are all solid and there isn’t a bad one among them.

The overall atmosphere is extreme with heavy occult/horror vibes. The guitar tone, both in the riffs and the leads, matches those themes; the whole album comes off as energetic while still being appropriately misanthropic. Of course, the subject matter consists of the concept of death and the process of going through that darkness so it’s good the album captures this well.

The slow, ominous leanins of “Destination: Morgue” and its opening moments get the ball rolling in a depressing, sinister way. It’s just a short intro but sets up the album and leads into “Children of the Morgue.”

Despite the subject matter, there is a sense of urgency here. The riffs aren’t particularly fast but the drums thrash about before the rest of the instruments catch up, the song going into balls out thrash mode. 

The vocals are somewhere between a death growl and a heavy clean–it works because the music doesn’t adhere to just death metal. The hardcore flourishes throughout the song work just as well,offering a different take on a subject that is presented so often with unrelenting extremity.

I find the band at their best on songs like “Terrornaut,” when they inject a dose of atmosphere into their music. The opening riffs are more spacious than dynamic than leaning solely on rapid fire attacks or crushing groove. The clean part with the spoken word around the 1:25 mark is a nice touch, a little twist in the myth. 

“The Gravedigger,” is the longest song on the album, reaching close to 9 minutes. The first half is marked by tight riffs and melodic base—the song is subtle in a strange way, building up towards the halfway mark even as it’s explosive in its own way. At the halfway point, the song gains aggressive tendencies with a killer guitar solo.  

“Fed To Mother Earth,” is one of the more intense songs, built with a catchy groove and vicious vocal delivery. The solos are great, whether it’s the melodic one in the beginning, or the one that rips through in the later half, leading to the aftermath of destruction around the 5:30 mark.  

The album ends with another banger in the form of “Farewell (Taken To Forever)" and it’s nonstop energy features a lot of changing riffs and well-placed solos. The song is rather chaotic until the 5:26 mark where it slows down to a doom-infused crawl for one of the best moments on the album. The riffs are balanced between deep density and melodic tinges as the song winds down with yet another killer solo. The sudden bursts of speed just before the end finishes the album in the only way it could end.

I love it when legendary bands make a comeback and prove to everyone they still have it. There has been a resurgence of bands returning after a long absence and Deceased’s “Children of the Morgue” is quite the return!