MORPHETIK hailing from Uppsala, Sweden were formed in 2018. The Thrash Metal outfit released so far two splits and one full-length album. Their second full-length release "Proclamation Of War" was recorded by Franco Escalona (NIGHTRAGE; ALWAYS WAR), and mixed and mastered by Jocke Rydbjer (WOLFBRIGADE). It has a length of about 27 minutes, and it was released via German Heavy, Speed, and Thrash Metal specialists Witches Brew. No official video has been released yet.

The album starts with the frantic "Acolytes Of Destruction", an opener in best Thrash Metal tradition: aggression, blistering pace, and flesh-ripping guitar riffs. It is a direct song with little technicality. The harsh vocals are around the medium end of the vocal range with hardly any variation. "Acolytes Of Destruction" is short, filthy, and a kick-into-the-face song. "Death From Above" continues with the crazy pace and the aggression. The song is as short and direct as the opener, but MORPHETIK somehow manage to squeeze in a mid-tempo break that contributes very well to the track. "Death Incarnate" continues with the Thrash attack, the pace, and the directness. The mid-tempo break includes a lot of double-bass drumming and transitions into a lead guitar solo at crazy speed.

"Domination" starts at mid-tempo and offers a bit of a change as the melodies sound darker. After around 30 seconds, the track transitions into the high speed approach with tight riffing. "Dominion" is a three-minute banger with a bit more catchiness in the riffing and I am sure that the track becomes a fan favorite. "Endless Pain" is a song with very simple and direct riffing without any technicality. Guitars, drums, bass, and vocals are very straightforward after a 20 seconds mid-tempo opening. Most of the track is fast, with the exception of a short mid-tempo break halfway through the song. "Fatal Incursion" starts with a more melodic mid-tempo part provided by the lead guitars. It does not take long for the track to return to high pace, however, "Fatal Incursion" has a few more twists in tempo and rhythm, and the riffing sounds more melodic and more complex compared to most of the album tracks. Although "Fatal Incursion" is a good track, I miss the lead guitars here, they could have been a great contribution to the song. "March Of The Fallen" is an 80 second instrumental at mid-tempo with probably the catchiest riffing on the entire album.

"Nuclear Homicide" starts as many track on the album with a mid-tempo introduction before transitioning into a track of frantic pace. The track is as direct as all other songs on the album, but the three-minute playing time still leave room for some very short mid-tempo intervals with grim melodies. "Resist To Exist" starts with a historical spoken-word radio part, before powerful and dark guitar riffing takes over. Unlike all other songs, the main part of "Resist To Exist" is at mid-tempo. The melodies are gloomy and fit perfectly into the track. Again, the lead guitars remain absent, which is a missed opportunity in my opinion. The album finishes with "World Wide War" and MORPHETIK go out with a bang. "World Wide War" has all ingredients of a great Thrash Metal song: the pace, the sharp riffing, the aggression, the melodies, the excellent lead guitar solo, and the anthemic chorus. A good way to end the album.

MORPHETIK deliver a traditional Thrash Metal album that reminds me on the very early days of German Thrash giants SODOM or KREATOR. The 27 minute history of "Proclamation Of War" can be put in three simple words: speed, aggression, directness. The riffing and the drumming is simple, but effective, and there is hardly any technicality on most songs on the album. I personally would have hoped for a few more lead guitars. The album is well produced. "Proclamation Of War" is an album for craziness in the pit and I am sure Thrash Metal fans will love the album and look forward to exciting live shows of MORPHETIK.Purchase Link:

https://morphetik.bandcamp.com/