Country: USA
Genre: Death Metal (covers / early Death era)
Release: July 17, 2026
For fans of: Death, Mantas, Slaughter, Hellhammer
Review | Metal Territory
Initium Mortis is a tribute album that looks back almost 40 years, to the early, wild, formless years of Death. Left To Die — with members who have passed through Death, Gruesome, Living Monstrosity and DTA tours — decide to bring back to life material that never officially made it onto a record, material that remained in demo, rehearsal and live recordings. As stated in the document: «faithful recreations of mostly unheard-of songs do a fine job of re-stoking some of the earliest death metal fire» .
The band selects the most viable tracks from the 1983–1985 period, leaving behind those that didn’t stand up musically. The result is a 27-minute album that captures the proto-Death era with clean production and professional execution. As noted: «Left to Die do a fine job of selecting the most viable Death rarities… while leaving behind the stuff which… simply didn’t stack up» .
The album has a strong speed metal and metalpunk influence, something that characterized Mantas/Death before Scream Bloody Gore. In the second half, tracks like “Rise of Satan” clearly bring Slayer and Motörhead vibes, while “Mantas” and “Death by Metal” sound cleaner and louder than ever. As stated: «the second half… finds its own Slayer and Motörhead-esque trample» .
There are minor weaknesses too: the running order isn’t ideal, with “Legion of Doom” opening the record while it would fit better in the middle. Also, the mix gives excessive weight to the rhythm section, burying the vocals a little. The document describes it: «the album starts with “Legion of Doom”… I don’t like that…» and «vocals… occasionally buried beneath the overloud pump of the rhythm section» .
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Even so, Initium Mortis is an honest, strong and well-crafted revival of the early Death era. It doesn’t try to be anything else — it’s an album for those who love the demos, the early recordings and the historical side of death metal. As summarized: «you’ll get a solid ~27 minute “proto-Death” album… slickly presented but smart enough to avoid any unfounded self-inserts» .
Line-up: Matt Harvey – Vocals, Guitars Rick Rozz – Guitars Terry Butler – Bass Gus Ríos – Drums
Tracklist
- Legion Of Doom — 03:24
- Archangel — 03:17
- Power of Darkness
- Zombie
- Witch of Hell — 02:46
- Rise of Satan
- Summoned To Die
- Mantas
- Slaughterhouse
- Death By Metal
We support the bands, which is why we recommend Bandcamp to listen to their music; that way you have the option to buy the CD you’re listening to. Our opinion carries no weight, we write for the sake of writing; hit play on the tape deck and judge for yourself. Stay Metal and open your mind!
