For connoisseurs of extreme death metal/grind brutality, the debut album from Mohler is about as excessive as you can get! Formed and fronted by Crushing the Deceiver vocalist Grant Mohler and his brother Brian, the album titled Death is Defeated is ten tracks of truly inhuman guttural sounding sludge that is certainly not going to be to everyone’s taste. No doubt, only diehard fans of this genre will ultimately find anything remotely appealing here. To each his own I suppose.
Out the gate I have got to say that the production here is quite lacking and it is possible that this is the sound they are going for? The snare sounds very reminiscent of what was found on Metallica’s St. Anger album, the guitars are muddy and the vocals undecipherable. There are some great chug-a-chug moments where the riffs are mean and nasty and I couldn’t help but to sit back for a minute and take notice, or rather dip my head into banging position and let loose. “Blotted Out of the Book of Life” is the first cut that I really enjoyed and had just such a moment. Additional tracks that piqued my interest were, “Jesus is the Way,” and “The Holy Spirit is My Helper.” The final track of the album “Heaven Waits” is probably my favorite. It begins with a spoken word segment that I could completely understand, haha! There is some good riffage here as well. Shout out to Brian Mohler on this one who is a beast with his drumming and his accenting on this tune really showcases his talent.
Now, I tried desperately myself to follow along with the lyric sheet but to my dismay became lost within seconds as the vocals are completely incomprehensible. However, I trust that what Grant is vocalizing in these songs is accurate and the lyrics are very straightforward pulling no punches. From the song “Destroying the Destroyer,” – “God destroys all things wicked, There’s no evil that can withstand. Living righteous holy power destroys the destroyer’s plans” There is no beating around the bush with what Mohler are about, slamming Death Metal with a decisively Christian message. I think I will try and get my pastor into these guys. No, just kidding! Mohler are not for the faint of heart, this is a given.
-Priest
Mohler
Death Is Defeated
Roxx Records – Copyright 2021