Russian death metal is not something I get to hear everyday so I was quite excited when I found the debut Experiment in Blood from St. Petersburg based death metallers Morrah in my mailbox.

The music doesn't leave much, if anything to the imagination, but Morrah is good at what they do so it doesn't pull down. The band appears inspired by Cannibal Corpse to a certain degree. The references are definitely there in "My Bleeding Heart" and "Butcher" as well as others, but saying Morrah sounds like a clone wouldn't be just. The music isn't quite as fast and brutal as the Americans. This is probably due to the fact that Morrah doesn't solely rely on the aesthetics of death metal. The band seems to draw on inspiration from both thrash metal and heavy metal too which is very apparent on the instrumental intro and "Global Justice", but the main weight is on death metal.

The production is dry and clear, leaving much space for each instrument. The bass is upfront and very present in the soundscape. It works well, but a fatter and fuller guitar-sound would probably have made the music sound more compact and powerful. Most of the songs are good, but in particular "My Bleeding Heart" and "Inside My Mind" appeared valuable. Morrah may not have found their own sound yet, but it sounds like they are well on their way. It will be interesting to hear what the Russians can come up with next.