Nebraska Metal Scene Pt. 2: Mortal Dezire: Mortal Dezire

Mortal Dezire is a band from Kearney, Nebraska of all places. There is not much of a metal scene in Nebraska in general, but those bands that do or have existed mostly have come from Lincoln or Omaha, the closest things Nebraska has to big cities. Kearney is in the center of the state and is in a much more agricultural region, so the fact that there is a metal band from there at all is surprising.

Even more surprising is the fact that this metal band is more influenced by traditional styles of metal than by groove metal and metalcore. Mortal Dezire sounds like they should have come around in the 1980's. Their influences sound like US power metal bands such as Jag Panzer and Liege Lord. They combine those influences with some progressive metal and thrash metal influences into a decent mix of traditional metal styles that sounds fresh and keeps the listener's interest.

The production is fairly decent for a first time recording. Most of the instrumentation can be heard, except for the bass which is not audible all that often. The drumming is precise and is mostly there for keeping time. This is a guitar-driven album. The riffs are a little raw but are crunchy and catchy. They sound like they were influenced by the galloping riffs of Iron Maiden and Iced Earth. The leads blaze in and out of the riffs, and the solos are very well done. This band has taken a lot of time to learn their instruments and it shows.

The vocals fit in with the traditional metal style of the music. The singer is not a great vocalist, but it fits well with the sound. Every once in awhile, he attempts a high-pitched wail that is a little weak in the upper registers. However, this is definitely a throwback to 80's metal and adds to the charm of the album instead of detracting from it. The lyrical content seems to deal much more with fantasy themes than anything else, although some songs do not.

As for the songs themselves, they are catchy and memorable. The ballad slows things down and prepares the listener for the full speed throttle of the last quarter of the album.

The only real complaints I have are that many songs seem to simply stop without a natural-feeling ending. This band could play much longer songs and probably would sound more natural. The song "Hate Anthem" seems a little out of place. It is much angrier and aggressive than the rest of the music. The album would flow better without that song. The album itself does not end naturally. It feels like there could be more songs on the album.

All in all though, Mortal Dezire is a very good young band from an unexpected place.