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It’s been 23 years since Rigor Mortis’ last album, but they’ve got a new one on the way. October 7th is the day to mark in your calendar, as that’s the date Rigor Mortis will release their fourth and final album, Slaves to the Grave.
Adding to the covetability of this album from these speed/thrash metal pioneers are the facts that it’ll be the first with the original lineup since their 1988 debut, it was recorded less than a year before guitarist Mike Scaccia died, and since no label wanted to touch it (owing to the fact that there was no future for the band) the band was forced to call on friends, start an IndieGoGo campaign, and release it themselves.
So it’s a happy time in heavy metal, since the album is on the way and the track list and cover art, done by Michael Broom, has recently been revealed.
Also, since this is the last album from Rigor Mortis, which was supposed to be a comeback album (sounds like a good plot for a crossroads type of movie) and it’s an independent release, the band decided to do things fucking right by including a behind-the-scenes “making of” DVD to the initial pressing, and to release it on vinyl. They are all very proud of this record and the history that surrounds it. They have endeavored every step of the way to do justice to the Rigor Mortis legacy, and bring honor to Mike Scacciaʼs last recorded testament.
Long-time fans can rest easy knowing that, according to the press release, the themes the band typically addresses are intact. There are “twisted tales of horror and woe, monsters and madmen, and warfare and plague abound! The tracks are fast and heavy as one would expect, but there is also a maturity and growth that only comes with age and experience.”
More From the Press Release:
Musically, STTG draws from a legacy of brutal influence. The Speed and Thrash Metal that Rigor Mortis cut their teeth on is evident throughout the record in the intensity and velocity of tracks like ‘Flesh For Flies,’ but also, one could argue, are influences such as Italian horror soundtracks by *Goblin, as heard on the outro solo of ‘Poltergeist.’ While STTG was very much a group effort, and all four came together like a fist to crush all doubt, it has to be said, of course, that the highlight of this record, and indeed Rigor Mortis as a whole musically, is Mike Scacciaʼs incredible guitar playing. His freakish speed picking and beautiful sense of melody is mesmerizing. His solos are stupefying. Mike’s style was much closer to Paganini, than to say, Mustaine or Dimebag. He was unique.
Slaves to the Grave Track Listing:
1. Poltergeist 6:05
2. Rain of Ruin 4:21
3. Flesh for Flies 3:39
4. The Infected 3:51
5. Blood Bath 6:36
6. Ancient Horro 3:27
7. Fragrance of Corpse 3:13
8. Curse of the Draugr 3:34
9. Sacramentum Gladiatorum /
10. Lududs Magnus 13:56
Are you planning on picking up a copy of Rigor Mortis’ last album, Slaves to the Grave, when it gets released?
Rock Hard \m/
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