The Moribund People - EP

Album Review

The hardest part about Peccatum's The Moribund People EP is getting past the creepy grandmother on the cover; after that, it's all bliss. The opening title track is quite the lush endeavor, framing the leading duo's joint vocals with all manner of orchestration and electrical rock instruments; the second, entitled "A Penny's Worth of Heart," begins all minimalist and techno-pulsing (à la Ihriel's Star of Ash side project) before blowing a gasket, black metal-style like Ihsahn's former band, Emperor. And thirdly, there's the reverential cover of Bathory's "For All Those Who Died," which, as well as paying obvious tribute to the recently deceased Quorthon, perfectly showcases Peccatum's innate duality: first delving in a soft and very sensitive reading by Ihriel, accompanied only by her reticent piano; and later exploding into black metal fury once again at Ihsahn's hands.