Morbo/Bunker 66 - "Into the Morbid Bunker" (Doomentia Records, 2016)

Bands: Morbo/Bunker 66
Title: Into the Morbid Bunker
Genre: Death metal_Black/Thrash metal
Year: 2016
Time: 12 min circa
Rating: 73/100













All Italian split for the Czech label Doomentia Records! In fact, it had the brilliant idea to unite in a sole production the Romans Morbo and the Sicilians Bunker 66, an old acquaintance of Timpani allo Spiedo when I interviewed even them with those very very long and boring questions that I did in the early days of the ‘zine. Well, this 4-song split is titled “Into the Morbid Bunker” and has released on 7’’ vinyl on 23^rd June 2016.

Then, let’s start with Morbo, a quartet founded in 2009 with a full-length album released 5 years later. Practically, they are the Italian version of Autopsy, an influence clearly perceptible already since the first slow and menacing seconds of the opening track “Per Legem Mortuorum”. So expect a stinking and rotten death metal with hysterical solos, putrid vocals and simple but enough dynamic songs ranging from raw tupa-tupas and doom-tempos without any blast-beat in perfect Autopsy-style. Of the two songs, I much prefer the anti-Christian “Cross Tormentor”, surely the more violent Morbo’s song in this production containing also a darker riffing than the usual.

Regarding the nuklear trio of Bunker 66, nothing has changed from what they were 7 years ago but there is a big difference: they are now a band very recognizable in the International extreme metal scene thanking also to their two albums. Well, with “The Merciless March” and “The Force”, you’ll be crushed by an headbanging black/thrash metal played with a strong punk attitude including even a crust punk riffing in the latter song (by the way, “The Force” has very ironic lyrics where Bunker 66, proud about their own anti-conformist metallic identity, inveigh against the music academies and the talent shows), in an ideal mix between Antisect, Municipal Waste, Motörhead and Hellhammer. Fantastic are the raucous, doglike and very reverberated vocals of Damien Thorne, supported by some gang choruses (like the ones during the last seconds of “The Force”) able to increase more intensity in the Bunker 66’s assault.

In short, here you are a skullgrinding split between two very different bands, each other with its raw peculiar sound. But I must say that I prefer Bunker 66 because they are a bit more engaging than Morbo also for their contagious groove and an assault almost fast throughout their side. Said that, I must report that Morbo are now in only two members, that are Mike “Offender” (also in VII Arcano) and Andrea “Corpse” (also in Corpsefucking Art) while Bunker 66 have a new guitarist in the person of J.J. Priestkiller substituting Bone Incinerator, the first line-up change even since 2007.

Tracklist:

1 – Per Legem Mortuorum
2 – Cross Tormentor
3 – The Merciless March
4 – The Force

Line-up Morbo:

Mirko “Offender” Scarpa – vocals
Andrea “Corpse” Cipolla – guitars
Giorgio – bass/guitars
David – drums

Line-up Bunker 66:

Damien Thorne – vocals/bass
Bone Incinerator – bass
Dee Dee Altar – drums

ReverbNation Morbo: http://www.reverbnation.com/morbodeathmetalit
FaceBook Morbo: https://www.facebook.com/morbodeathmetal
BandCamp Bunker 66: http://bunker66.bandcamp.com/
FaceBook Bunker 66: https://www.facebook.com/Bunker66/
Doomentia Records: http://www.doomentia.com/