The Summary Judgment Reviews:
Title: Moribund Transgoria
Artist: Swordmaster
Label: Osmose Productions
Release Date: 10/25/99

Rating: 4 Skulls
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    • Submitted by Requiem (11/30/00):
    To those of you who have never heard of Swordmaster, you're probably thinking to yourself, "What a name?!?!" But fear not my fellow metal warriors, there is absolutely nothing to fear. Swordmaster happens to be one of the best kept secrets of the Swedish metal underground. Their first EP was some of the most intense melodic black metal I had heard at the time and since then the act has transformed into more of a thrash/death/rock attack.

    Three albums later brings us to Moribund Transgoria, 8 tracks of speed, mayhem and pure adrenaline that is destined to cause destruction when played in the presence of anyone who has healthy metal reflexes. As a whole, Swordmaster sound like a more raw rock n' roll version of a band like Dissection or At the Gates (whom the band has jammed with members/ex-members of both bands). These guys have that "let's play some fuckin' metal and have a good time" vibe and when the founding members' names are Vinnie Whiplasher and Naughty Nightmare should we expect anything different??

    My fave of the album has to be "Doom at Motordome", which showcases the skills of the entire band. It's certainly a workout for drummer Nicky Terror, as he skillfully blasts his way through beat after changing beat showing that he is nothing short of an amazing drummer. And while a majority of this stuff is full speed ahead, the guitars still manage to incorporate loads of melody and unleash emotion-filled solos mixed with rock n' roll fury. Vocals don't ever call for being too unique in this style of metal so Whiplasher gets the job done and done well. And that is how the rest of the album carries itself. It sends you blasting at the speed of light one minute and then will lock down into a groove that would make Iron Maiden jealous.

    I kid you not, I have heard 3 out of the 4 Swordmaster albums and these guys know how to rock and write some quality metal. They are one hell of a tight outfit and with that party down/rock n' roll vibe, this would serve as an ideal soundtrack for an evening of alcoholic consumption. It would be nice if they could come to States and prove that there truly must be something in that Swedish water. What other explanation could there be??
    4 out of 5

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