Not only are Mortuary Drape Italy's first black metal band, they're also one of the originators of the subgenre's storied second wave. They don't have the notoriety of their Norwegian brethren, but these Fenriz-approved hellions stand head-and-shoulders over many of their peers musically. It's a shame then that the Drape still languishes in obscurity despite a prime spot on Maryland Deathfest 2012 and loads of underground credibility. The band's discography is comparatively small for a group that formed in 1986, but what they lack in breadth, they more than make up for in quality. The last album the band released was 2004's Buried In Time, and, aside from some diabolical bric-a-brac in the form of a couple EP's, a live album, and a compilation, Mortuary Drape has been silent for a decade. That silence was recently broken when Iron Tyrant Records announced that they'd be releasing the Drape's fifth full-length album via this cryptic teaser trailer:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS1KbI3a6-8[/youtube]
As you can see, there's not much information available about the album yet other than it's scheduled for release this Autumn. Aside from that fact, founding member Wildness Perversion assures fans that the new LP will sound, "100% Mortuary Drape." He will also be returning to drum duties for the first time since the 1995 album All The Witches Dance. Based on the strength of the band's previous material, this new album is almost certainly going to be one of the best extreme metal albums of the year. Keep an eye on Metal Injection for more details about the upcoming album, and, in the meantime, feast on this putrid chunk of occult black metal from Mortuary Drape's 1997 album Secret Sudaria:
[youtube]http://youtu.be/XiLGQvsr7sU[/youtube]
