Italy, one more time, I have to praise your sacred lands. Yes, because Italian Metal bands are really different, especially when you have to deal with extreme Metal styles. ADE, DARKEND, OPERA IX, MALFEITOR, STORMLORD and many more excellent names are storming and taking Metal scene by assault. One more very good name is coming: MOURNING SOUL, a trio from Enna (Sicily), and they are vomiting their musical hatred on "Ego Death - Ritual I," their latest album. We can say that they are a Black Metal band with deep roots on the SWOBM (Second Wave of Black Metal), but with a different insight, forcing the boundaries of the style even more, with climatic passages, very good tempos, grunted voices (and some whispered ones), sharp darkened guitars, a brutal work on bass guitar and drums, creating a very good rhythmic mass, and some atmospheric synths parts. Yes, they are pretty good, indeed!

The sound quality is a bit different that we are used to hear of bands that follow this same path: besides they keep the raw and brutal sound quality, the trio doesn't open hand of some sound clarity and aesthetic care. So, we can say that is harsh, but done with quality. Their best darkened invocations: the oppressive tempo changes of "Salvation (to the Temple of Knowledge)" (where bass guitar and drums are really creating a darkened rhythmic basis, and the synths parts, along with some clean voices, are excellent); the very good aggressive work from vocals on "Resurrection Through the Serpent's Light" (the song is once again filled with very good morbid slow parts, where bass guitar is excellent), the heavy and aggressive slow tempos of "The Cold Embrace Calls Me" (where guitar riffs are nasty as Hell, but excellent as well), the agonizing and depressive slow parts of "Weltschmerz (The Heavyness of Sin)", the fast tempos of the creative "Chamber of Bones" (great drumming, with a fine technique), and the sickening guitar solos presented on "Moribunds". But keep in mind: the whole album is really very good. Of course they are excellent, and "Ego Death - Ritual I" deserves your attention.