MORDRED
“The Dark Parade”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

9/10

Mordred are a cross over thrash metal band from the USA, forming in 1984, releasing their debut album ‘Fool’s Game’ in 1989, and their sophomore album ‘In This Life’ in 1991. The bands third album ‘The Next Room’ followed in 1994, before the band split-up, each member going their separate ways. Reforming in 2013, Mordred released a single ‘Baroness’ in 2015 – the bands first new music in two decades! The band released the four song E.P. ‘Volition’ in 2020…

…and in 2021, Mordred are back with a new album – their first in twenty five years! During the eighties and early nineties, Mordred stood out from their peers, fusing elements of funk and hip hop into their thrash metal roots. The band were not afraid to experiment with their sound, and on ‘The Dark Parade’ (the new album), the band remain fearless in their musical approach. With eight songs over forty minutes Mordred reinforce why they are regarded as the pioneers of cross over – pre-dating Aerosmith and Run DMC, Anthrax and Public Enemy, and bands such as Machine Head, Rage Against The Machine and Limp Bizkit.

The new album cruises into life with an energetic groove laden riff, courtesy of (first single) ‘Demonic #7’, giving way to Mordred’s more classic, and adventurous musical direction. The thundering thrash powered ‘Demonic #7’ shows the band still have fire in their bellies – a raging fire that’s been itching to be unleashed for a quarter of a century! And unleashed it has been, as the heat is turned up along with the pace as ‘Malignancy’ storms off in a steep upward trajectory. Thrash meets trad metal meets punk attitude over a barrelful of melodious intent. Add the Mordred trademark sound innovations and ‘Malignancy’ cannot be anyone else. Mordred have such a unique sound that they stand head and shoulders over their peers.

Hitting hard like a sledgehammer decimating concrete, ‘I Am Charlie’ is a myriad of metal, funk, hip hop and anything else the band choose to incorporate into their soundscape. The Mordred sound really is innovative and highly distinctive – the band leading the way in terms of boundary breaking musical cross over, both during the eighties and right now, right here. An eighties traditional metal guitar sound rises high in the air as ‘Dragging For Bodies’ swaggers into view, settling into a brooding, almost melancholy groove. Many listeners will endure a mild bout of scary, as ‘Dragging For Bodies’ wanders by with hip hop style samples and rap style scratches. Mordred it seems, have no limitations! The title song ‘The Dark Parade’, is a thrash metal boogie, a carnival song and dance all wrapped up in a menacing meander, with vocalist Scott Holderby delivering a cracking performance as an evil ring master enticing you into the Big Top where the unknown awaits!

Although there’s twenty five years between albums three and four, it certainly doesn’t sound like it – Mordred keeping true to their roots and original sound. Fans of the old Mordred, will lap this new album up, the band likely angling more for the old faithful than pushing for a recruitment drive. ‘All Eyes On The Prize’ is a thunderous mid paced, chopping groove thrash based romp – the nearest the entire album comes to displaying the iconic Bay Area sound. Mordred have managed to “roll back the years” with this album, but by no means are the band living in the past. The menacing side of the band rears its head once more, wreaking mild fear with the stomping and down beat ‘Dented Lives’. Suppressing the high energy levels of earlier, ‘Dented Lives’ is almost morbid in its approach, even though a turn of speed from half way allows for a superb head banging moment. The suppressed energy makes a welcome return for the final song! ‘Smash Goes The Bottle’ is up tempo and up beat, adding a huge dash of Southern rock swagger. There is also power, pace, and thunderous intent, the band ending their new album very much on a high.

Overall, innovative, experimental, and unique, Mordred are hitting hard and sounding great with their distinctive blend of thrash, funk, and hip hop.

TRACKLIST

Demonic #7
Malignancy
I Am Charlie
Dragging For Bodies
The Dark Parade
All Eyes On The Prize
Dented Lives
Smash Goes The Bottle

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