Album Review
MORBID INTENT - Marionettes
Gothenburg melodies meet modern extreme aggression.
Following two singles released in 2026, MORBID INTENT have unveiled their debut EP, bringing the familiar guitar language of Gothenburg melodic death metal together with the aggression of modern extreme metal. The Finnish outfit brings together five musicians with experience in bands such as SWANSONG and ELECTRIC DEATHBEAT. Their approach draws on the melodic sound that took shape in the 1990s. While the five-track EP does little to reinvent that legacy, it aims to establish its own sound by combining traditional melodic death metal songwriting with harder-hitting rhythms and a contemporary production approach.
The opening track, ‘The Night Draws Near’, establishes an atmosphere that sets it apart from the rest of the EP. Built around acoustic guitars, piano and eerie background sounds, this brief introduction draws the listener into darker territory before the band unleashes its guitar-driven aggression. ‘Ashen Veil’ then shatters the calm with blast beats and razor-sharp riffs. Juho Näppä and Mikko Lavander combine the characteristic harmonies and fast melodic passages of the Gothenburg tradition with hard-hitting rhythms, while staccato transitions and a guitar solo add variety to the arrangement. Juha Väyrynen’s vocals, shifting between high-pitched screams and death metal growls, bring further variation in intensity.
However, ‘Ashen Veil’ feels relatively straightforward when compared with the more varied arrangements heard later on the EP. With an opening that edges towards blackened death metal, forceful riffs and layered vocals, ‘The Manipulation Doctrine’ explores a broader expressive range. Its atmospheric passage, introduced by acoustic guitars, creates a meaningful transition into the heavier sections, while the return of the melodic guitars keeps aggression and melody working in tandem. What matters here is not simply the changes in tempo, but the band’s ability to pull back the intensity and make the sections that follow hit harder.
The title track, ‘Marionettes’, takes a more direct approach. Prominent riffs, forceful drumming, a breakdown and a guitar solo make it one of the EP’s most energetic moments. Jimi Myöhänen’s drumming maintains the momentum during the faster passages while reinforcing the guitars’ rhythmic accents at more conventional tempos. Closing track ‘Vitriol Shards’ is among the EP’s clearest nods to the Swedish pioneers of melodic death metal. Tremolo-driven harmonies, twin-guitar arrangements and progressive triplet passages give the familiar formula a more dynamic shape. The synth layers heard towards the end also expand the track’s atmosphere without overshadowing the guitars.
The lyrical focus on the psychological effects of oppression, manipulation, hatred and toxic communication provides a meaningful counterpart to the musical approach of “Marionettes”. While the title and themes evoke the idea of human behaviour being controlled by outside forces, the music itself moves between aggression and melodic structure. Still, this conceptual framework does not inform every aspect of the songwriting equally. The EP’s identity stems primarily from its guitar harmonies, fast-paced drumming and Väyrynen’s use of contrasting vocal styles.
Eemeli Bodde’s mixing and mastering bring these elements together in a sound that is clean yet aggressive. The guitars have a broad, dense presence, while the bass primarily reinforces the rhythmic foundation. The pronounced kick drum attack also keeps the faster passages clear. One notable aspect of the production is that it does not rely on consistently high volume levels to convey the genre’s aggression. The shifts in intensity and atmospheric breaks in ‘The Manipulation Doctrine’ are particularly effective, demonstrating how arrangement and dynamics can carry their own weight. By contrast, the similar guitar tones and mix balance across the four tracks following the intro sometimes cause the EP’s roughly eighteen minutes of music to merge into a single sonic texture. The differences between songs largely come down to arrangement, leaving greater tonal variety as an area the band could develop in the future.
“Marionettes” largely delivers on its aim of combining the Gothenburg tradition of melodic death metal with the aggression of modern extreme metal, making it a solid debut EP. Although MORBID INTENT’s harmony-driven guitar work evokes the sound of an earlier era, its combination with aggressive drumming, varied vocal delivery and occasional atmospheric arrangements makes for a compelling release. Even so, it is too early to say that the band has established a truly distinctive sonic identity of its own. Exploring a wider range of tones and dynamics on their next release could help MORBID INTENT move beyond simply reproducing the legacy of Swedish melodic death metal.
