What do you think? This is a great place to utilize the comments section. Have disagreements? Of course you will. I doubt anyone will agree with all 14 ranking placements. Let your voice be heard. Without further ado, let us begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mortification are a legendary name in Christian heavy metal, and for good reason. But like many famous metal acts, the albums that span their career make for a sonic landscape of many peaks and valleys. Though Mortification began as a death metal band with strong thrash roots (like many early death metal acts), Steve Rowe and company explored a whole gamut of styles as well, much to the chagrin of many fans who initially fell in love with the band by way of Scrolls of the Megilloth <\/em>or their self-titled debut. To me, it\u2019s proof of Rowe\u2019s love of heavy metal music as a whole, and in spite of much protest, he\u2019s refused to confine himself to one particular style. Love or hate what they\u2019ve done over the years, there\u2019s no denying their importance as a band, and Steve Rowe in particular\u2019s tremendous impact on the metal scene as a whole. Here, I\u2019ll be ranking their studio albums from worst to best (EP\u2019s, live albums, compilations and demos are not included).<\/p>\n\n\n Realm of the Skeletaur The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine Hammer of God The Silver Chord is Severed Relentless<\/em><\/strong> Brain Cleaner EnVision EvAngelene Triumph of Mercy Erasing the Goblin Primitive Rhythm Machine Mortification Blood World Blood World<\/em> sounds light years away from the brutal noise of previous efforts, incorporating thrash and groove elements far more than the band had hitherto done before. But it also sees Mortification embrace a doomy death metal sound with tracks like \u201cSymbiosis\u201d and \u201cDark Allusions,\u201d as well as the heavy groove of \u201cMonks of the High Lord.\u201d Yes, Rowe makes more use of his controversial shouted vocals on this album (and I\u2019m with most fans on this in that I\u2019m not a huge fan of this approach which came to dominate later albums), but there\u2019s far more death metal growls on here than I expected when I first listened to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Phil Gibson\u2019s drum work is particularly of note on this record, reminding me more than once of the punchy style that I usually associate with Paul Mazurkiewicz of Cannibal Corpse. Blood World might have been too abrupt of a change when it came out back in 1994, but in hindsight, I think it\u2019s one of their most unique and interesting records. The fact that it goes in my CD player in my car more often than most other albums of theirs is a testament to how much it\u2019s grown on me over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Post-Momentary Affliction However, songs like \u201cDistarnish Priest\u201d and \u201cGrind Planetarium\u201d slow it all down, giving the album a real dynamic edge. \u201cThis Momentary Affliction\u201d goes for an industrial-esque approach almost more in line with Fear Factory, and \u201cVital Fluids\u201d sounds just downright nasty. The issue with Post Momentary Affliction<\/em> is that it is also home to a ton of wasted space in the form of intros\/outros, interludes, and a totally out of place-sounding bass solo (\u201cFlight of Victory\u201d), all amounting to six of the fourteen total tracks. The excess here takes away from the impact of what is otherwise an incredibly varied and engaging bit of death metal history. I liken this one to a beautiful steak, but one with some fat that desperately needs to be trimmed off. Still, once it is, what a steak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scrolls of the Megilloth Steve Rowe\u2019s vocals here are some of the finest in death metal I\u2019ve ever heard in my life; the booming, lion-like roars almost make the ground beneath your feet shake. The merciless pounding of the drums and the incessantly grinding guitar work all serve to add to the impact here. In my mind, if I were to be a bit of stickler, I\u2019d say it\u2019s the band\u2019s most purely death metal record, with the thrash elements almost completely absent and with no sign of the band\u2019s later experimental, hybridizing approach to different metal styles. It\u2019s brutal without falling into the specifically \u201cbrutal death metal\u201d style later heard in the music of bands like Crimson Thorn and Metanoia, almost providing a snapshot of what old school, classic death metal could sound like if taken to its extreme limits. To my mind, despite the fact that it almost stands alone stylistically-speaking in the band\u2019s catalogue, it\u2019s still their definitive statement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Have you ever told somebody, “So and so is my best friend?” It’s probably a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":14119,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1021],"tags":[153],"class_list":["post-14099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features-d97","tag-mortification-d55"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Mortification](\"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/hmmort1.jpeg\")
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<\/em><\/strong>It\u2019s a bit of a sad thing for me to put this one last. Mortification\u2019s final album (at least as it stands now) was meant to be a return to their old death metal stylings once again, but ended up sounding like a band totally out of steam. It\u2019s hard for me to critique the vocal work of Steve Rowe here after all he has been through with health struggles and surviving cancer; but, if I focus purely on the sound here, the low grunted vocals just don\u2019t work. In fact, I find they are almost distractingly too much in the forefront on this mix. Musically, the songs just sound uninspired. I\u2019d love to dig what they tried to do here (especially because they seem to be trying to go the death metal route here), but I just can\u2019t. Compare a track like \u201cTurn\u201d or \u201cJ.G.S.H.\u201d to \u201cSlaughter Demon Headz\u201d and see what I mean. Realm of the Skeletaur<\/em> is 100% not the high the band should have gone out on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/em><\/strong>Erasing the Goblin<\/em> was a ferocious return to form album for Mortification. Too bad that it\u2019s follow-up almost entirely ditched the cohesive, precision attack of the latter for a tired album of punkish thrash that fails to grab one\u2019s attention almost entirely. I\u2019m not sure how they stumbled so hard after their fantastic Erasing the Goblin<\/em> album, but here we are. Definitely a pass from me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/em><\/strong>Some might be surprised to see this one so low on the list. Certainly, the music itself is well-played, and Lincoln Bowen\u2019s guitar work makes him one of the best guitarists that ever passed through the band\u2019s ranks through the years. But this list is subject to personal opinion, and I\u2019ve never been a traditional metal fan for the most part. And that\u2019s precisely what Hammer of God<\/em> is. Loaded with galloping drums and soaring guitar leads, it\u2019s hard to believe that this band put out a death metal monolith like Scrolls of the Megilloth<\/em> once upon a time (though to be fair, that was with a different line-up outside of consistent band member Steve Rowe). It\u2019s not that the music here is necessarily bad; far from it, in fact, despite the sometimes ham-fisted lyrical approach. It\u2019s just simply not my thing. I can listen to a black metal band ride one drum beat and two riffs for twenty minutes no problem, but with this kind of metal, I just generally tend to tune out pretty quickly. Just me. That said, if you\u2019re a trad metal fan and always thought Mortification were just a death metal act, you might want to check this one out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/em><\/strong>And now for another surprise. The Silver Chord is Severed<\/em> is the album that most find at the bottom of their lists when it comes to Mortification. Often derided as an album too caught up in the trends of its day when it was released in 2001 (groove metal, nu-metal, etc.), I think it has ended up becoming, a little unfairly, the whipping boy of the band\u2019s discography. And let\u2019s be honest: lots of bands let the commercially successful sounds of the mid to late-90’s rub off on them to some degree (In Flames\u2019 Reroute to Remain<\/em>, Fear Factory\u2019s Digimortal<\/em>, and even Obituary\u2019s World Demise <\/em>all come to mind here). The question is – did it work? Yes and no. The issue is not that the music on The Silver Chord is Severed<\/em> is necessarily bad, it\u2019s just that it\u2019s not very memorable. When you compare this one to the rest of the band\u2019s discography, it simply remains in the background as an album of its time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Relentless<\/em> is a real mixed bag of a record, but much of the middle-period of Mortification can be, just by very nature of the band\u2019s hybridized approach. The only time where the band was a four-piece, Relentless is very atypical of Mortification\u2019s mid-period: a mix of groove, thrash and classic heavy metal, with sprinklings of death and doom thrown in to varying degrees. \u201cWeb of Fire\u201d sounds like an homage to Slayer, \u201cSorrow\u201d effectively channels some doom metal vibes, and \u201cApocalyptic Terror\u201d could be the ultimate tease to those fans of the band who wish Mortification would just go back to death metal already (as far as their death metal style goes, it\u2019s an absolute banger of a death\/thrash assault). Unfortunately, the highlights are overshadowed by a fair amount of simply unexciting material that grooves along in a by-the-numbers manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/em><\/strong>Erasing the Goblin<\/em> is often viewed as Mortification\u2019s return-to-form album in the eyes of many fans of the band who longed for the band to go back to their death metal style. But Brain Cleaner <\/em>could actually vie for that position just as much. It\u2019s obvious with this one that Mortification was cool with going back to the sounds that made them famous in the first place, despite Steve Rowe\u2019s protests against pigeonholing the band\u2019s sound in the song \u201cPurest Intent.\u201d While the whole album doesn\u2019t go full-on death metal, tracks like \u201cLivin\u2019 Like a Zombie\u201d and \u201cToo Much Pain\u201d are definitely a step in the right direction (with the latter sounding very much like a song from the Post Momentary Affliction<\/em> days – \u201cThis Momentary Affliction\u201d). Other tracks like \u201cBoaconstrictor\u201d and \u201cLouder than the Devil\u201d are pretty much Mortification\u2019s death\/thrash hybrid style by the numbers. Unfortunately, some tracks fall flat here – most notably, \u201cE.D.\u201d and \u201c12 Men.\u201d While Brain Cleaner<\/em> is promising, and a pretty decent listen at times, there\u2019s simply better in their back catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/em><\/strong>This is the point where Mortification almost (there\u2019s still a sprinkling of death growls here!) definitively abandoned their early death metal stylings completely. A blend of thrash and traditional heavy metal, EnVision EvAngelene <\/em>sees Mortification at their most epic in scope. The title track alone is a monster, clocking in at over 18 minutes long, and somehow never overstays its welcome or succumbs to being a bloated mess. \u201cNorthern Storm\u201d remains one of my favorite Mortification songs for its ultra-groovy thrash approach, and its hard to fault songs like \u201cBuried Into Obscurity\u201d and the Motorhead-esque \u201cNoah Was a Knower.\u201d Normally, this kind of album isn\u2019t my style, but there\u2019s just something about it that makes me return to it on occasion. A solid listen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/em><\/strong>Triumph of Mercy<\/em> is one of the most underrated records in the band\u2019s catalog. I always see this one being passed over like it was some kind of embarrassing footnote, and after listening to it, I can\u2019t figure out as to why. It\u2019s not a fantastic record, but it\u2019s definitely not their worst. It\u2019s got far more death metal on it than anything else in their mid-period (until Brain Cleaner <\/em>came along), so for death metal fans like me, it works. The fact that Rowe could even muster the death growls on this record that he did after his horrific but triumphant battle with cancer is astounding (see the nasty opener \u201cAt War with War\u201d for a great example of this). Not all of it works, of course; Lincoln Bowen\u2019s excellent guitar-work notwithstanding, some of the riffs on here almost have a pop-punk feel at times (see the beginning of \u201cWelcome to the Palodrome\u201d), or simply segue into hard rock territory (\u201cVisited by an Angel\u201d) – a jarring shift from the growling death metal of tracks like \u201cTriumph of Mercy\u201d and \u201cDrain Dweller.\u201d But that\u2019s the problem you often get with Mortification – the albums really are such a hybrid of styles that it\u2019s almost inevitable that
some tracks will fall flat, depending on the listener\u2019s predilections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/em><\/strong>Here\u2019s where we get to the really solid stuff. After a decade or so of what most Mortification fans seem to view as a rather lacklustre period for the band, out comes Erasing the Goblin<\/em>. Though Brain Cleaner<\/em> was definitely heavier than anything they\u2019d done in some time and showcased a shift towards their old sound, it was Erasing the Goblin<\/em> that went full throttle and kicked the door in. Tracks like the brutal \u201cForged in Stone,\u201d ripping \u201cRazorback\u201d and my personal favorite, \u201cWay Truth Life\u201d all hit with the subtlety of a missile strike, powered by guitarist Mick Jelinic\u2019s violent, thrashy guitar work. Rowe\u2019s vocals are in fine form here, and even if they don\u2019t hit the guttural heights of those heard on Scrolls of the Megilloth<\/em>, it\u2019s great to hear Steve growling again with such fervor. Though the album peters out towards the end with the slow trudge of \u201cHumanitarian\u201d and the punkish \u201cShort Circuit\u201d (which would have sounded better on an album like Primitive Rhythm Machine), Erasing the Goblin<\/em> is to Mortification as Surgical Steel<\/em> is to Carcass: an excellent return to form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/em><\/strong>Essentially a Steve Rowe solo record featuring various session musicians, Primitive Rhythm Machine<\/em> often gets misconstrued as a kind of Christian Sepultura rip-off album, and it\u2019s really too bad that it gets dismissed as such. Obviously, the title track does incorporate the tribal drumming styles heard on Sepultura\u2019s Chaos A.D. <\/em>and more notably Roots<\/em>, but it\u2019s just the one track (plus, for what it\u2019s worth, Primitive Rhythm Machine<\/em> came out in 1995, Sepultura\u2019s Roots<\/em> in 1996). The rest of the album is a raw and stripped-down affair that blends classic and crossover thrash with groove and death metal. Sure, Sepultura\u2019s death\/thrash sound from their early days is obviously an influence to some degree, but I would argue that that influence has always been there since the beginning on this band. Despite not having a solidified line-up, the album holds together surprisingly well, even if its ramshackle tone makes it feel like it could all fall apart at any minute. \u201cMephibosheth\u201d has a crushing chorus, and tracks like \u201cProvidence\u201d and \u201cConfused Belief\u201d hit hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/em><\/strong>If it weren\u2019t for this album, I reckon many of us wouldn\u2019t be here. This was ground zero for Christian death metal. Though bands like Vengeance Rising and Sacrament had pushed thrash metal to its utter limits with albums like Human Sacrifice and Testimony of Apocalypse, it was Mortification\u2019s classic self-titled debut that raised the bar on just about everything heavy. Like much of early death metal, Mortification\u2019s sound here is firmly rooted in thrash. However, Rowe and company here took everything to new extremes, with Rowe\u2019s guttural roar leading the charge. At the time, no other band in the Christian metal scene had gone this far, and although the somewhat muted production kills its impact somewhat, it still remains a fantastic piece of death metal history, especially for the Christian scene. For my money, it doesn\u2019t get much better than \u201cSatan\u2019s Doom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/em><\/strong>Controversy time. Blood World <\/em>is a personal favorite of mine. I know this record is disliked by many, and though I\u2019ve heard that it\u2019s Mortification\u2019s best-selling album, I sometimes wonder if that was because of the high hopes fans had for it after Post Momentary Affliction<\/em>, expecting another death metal record and instead finding it to be something altogether different. Obituary\u2019s The End Complete<\/em> was their best selling record too, but quite criticized after by many in retrospect; so too with Blood World<\/em>. However, unlike the case with Obituary (with The End Complete<\/em> being viewed by some as a rehash of its predecessor, Cause of Death<\/em>), Mortification weren\u2019t accused of simply releasing another Scrolls of the Megilloth<\/em> or Post Momentary Affliction<\/em>, but of switching their style completely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/em><\/strong>The last of the band\u2019s classic trio of death metal releases, Post Momentary Affliction<\/em> is also their most ambitious. Rather than simply try to replicate the brutality of Scrolls of the Megilloth<\/em>, Mortification chose to expand their sound with new elements, including industrial, heavy and even black metal influences. That\u2019s right, I said black metal. This shouldn\u2019t come as a shocker considering drummer Jayson Sherlock\u2019s side-project in Horde, and, if I remember correctly, Steve Rowe\u2019s mention of Sodom as an early influence on his music (Sodom\u2019s early material such as In the Sign of Evil <\/em>and Obsessed by Cruelty<\/em> would prove hugely influential on the black metal scene of the 90\u2019s). Much akin to some black metal, the riffs on Post Momentary Affliction<\/em> cascade and flow over each other in an ominous-sounding fashion, with the drums driving it all on with steadfast purpose (see \u201cFrom the Valley of Shadows\u201d and \u201cOverseer\u201d particularly). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/em><\/strong>I\u2019m sure it\u2019s no surprise to see this one at the top. But let\u2019s be honest here – it may have been their self-titled that spawned a legion of Christian death metal acts, it may be that Post Momentary Affliction<\/em> is a flawed masterpiece of progressive death metal, but it was Scrolls of the Megilloth<\/em> that put Christian death metal on the map, both in the Christian and secular metal scenes. And for good reason. Scrolls of the Megilloth<\/em> is a monolithic death metal onslaught, crushing, pulverizing and ridiculously heavy in all the right ways. It copies no one and yet fits right in with its secular contemporaries, matching bands like Deicide for intensity and Suffocation for brutality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n