There exists something so beguiling and sublime about live tracked instruments that one can immediately discern the significance and importance of older influences on a group; when an instrument is allowed to breathe and resolve unto completion-however clean or gritty-the atmosphere it creates is something that is numbing and inviting. MORBID BREATH now managing their first EP, In The Hand Of The Reaper, has unveiled unto the masses a sound nearly thought to have gone silent with the passage of time, and the project-made-band now stands firm in their convictions.

"In The Hand Of The Reaper" opens the 5 track starting off sounding as a rehearsal piece with the band readying and being counted in, the raw expression of the guitars is made noticeable as a dry pan across the two channels; the dynamic changes emphasize transitions within the song with the most jarring being the outro. "Hellbringer" sounds itself straight out of the 80s in all regards, from the writing to the produced sound the fact that it's a modern track takes one back a bit-the first single released by the band the song epitomizes what the band's intent holistically. "Death Trap" begins with a single guitar the rest of the band following its lead in staccato accentuations with the second guitar eventually transitioning into harmony and the band progressing unto a rhythm-the constant shifts between fast and slow throughout the song gives it an eerie sound that stays with you even after its ran its course.

The fidelity of the album is that of great design, the live instruments succinctly complement one another in order to form a greater unison of sound, a full-scale band given life and does it ever show on the tracks. The guitars are strong, brutal, and full force in their delivery resounding with a richness nearer to that of listening directly to the amp from which their rooted. The bass is a solid force through effect or overdrive it tends to blend into the lower tones of the other strings pulsing in and out of notice based on the intensity of the guitars. The drums are powerful and viscous, never relenting in their drive but do have inconsistencies in the mix, a subject for which I have personal experience is tracking drums in absence of well refined compressors requires a sharp attention to detail in the consistency of each hit otherwise you'll wind up bottoming out in tone but not in volume which is exactly the case here in certain tracks such as the break for "Beneath The Graves" where the drums are almost lost behind the strings. Lastly, the vocals are clear and exacting, they manage to cut through the mix with ease and emphasis.

Overall In The Hand Of The Reaper was an EP befitting that of copious applause, the sheer fidelity alone is enough to draw attention and while the guitars feel a bit too loud the whole of the band is at the top of their performance creating a sound that harkens back to the inception of Thrash Metal.