After hearing this French band’s debut release (entitled «Bonecrunch») in 1999, I fully expected them to enter the overflowing «here today, gone tomorrow» files of defunct gore-grind bands. I’m glad to say, however, that Morgue has managed to tap into something with «Artgore» that was absent on that first record. Where the debut was filled to the brim with copped Carcass riffs and boring song structures, «Artgore» raises the bar significantly. The riffs are sharper, and even show some signs of originality. What makes this newfound ability distinct is Morgue’s penchant for writing longer musical phrases, which often give way to looser song structures. Such an attempt at pseudo-free form riffing would be disastrous to 90% of their peers, but these grinding Frenchmen keep up the chaos without losing sight of their intentions.

Not to be a killjoy, but «Artgore» does have its shortcomings, which need mentioning for the sake of balance. Primarily, there’s the issue of sound quality. I’m well aware of the argument which states that under-produced albums have a certain «charm» to them that can’t be replicated with better recording technology. Given that many of grindcore’s pioneers emphasized speed and aggression over listenability (at least on their early releases), perhaps this argument has some historical merit. The material on «Artgore», however, would definitely benefit from a little less muddiness. I found it difficult to get a decent bass response without making the guitars indistinguishable, and there are parts where I’m hearing a distorted «crackling» sound, which is probably the result of having the levels set too high during the recording process.

My only other gripes are relatively minor (such as the band’s tendency to repeat their simpler riffs, while the more interesting ones are only played through once), so I won’t dwell on them. Overall though, I would feel comfortable recommending this disc to most grind fans who are looking for something more interesting than the present scene seems to be offering.

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