by George Pacheco
Time has seen much in the way of progression for this Bostonian band since their 2005 inception. Though Morne was founded by ex-Grief/Disrupt axeman Jeff Hayward and Filth of Mankind’s Milosz Gassan, the band’s lineup has now expanded to include keyboardist Ian Schultz and famed skinsman Erik Larson, who has spent time within the ranks of Alabama Thunderpussy, Birds of Prey, The Mighty Nimbus and more.
This lineup—fulfilled by bassist Max Furst—is easily the band’s strongest, and this is additionally reflected within the grooves of Untold Wait, Morne’s first proper full length. Combining a crust aesthetic with a droning, atmospheric doom sensibility, this record is doing its damnedest to stick out as far from the pack as possible, and—more often than not—seems to be succeeding.
Atmosludge may be a proper term to describe what’s going on here: a twisted amalgamation of pounding, tribal percussion which winds its way betwixt the sparse, stoic riffing of Hayward and Gassan. Sure, things may take a wee bit too long in getting their point across, but this is a minor miscalculation when compared to the trajectory Morne is clearly heading for on this release.
In other words, Untold Wait looks to be just the first offering from a musical tree just beginning to bear fruit. The years to come should be quite interesting for Morne.
