Very few bands have shaped extreme metal as profoundly as Death. Chuck Schuldiner and his bandmates didn’t simply create a new sound—they laid the foundations for an entire genre that still influences musicians around the world over four decades later.
That is exactly why Left To Die is far more than another tribute project. Initium Mortis revisits the earliest Death and Mantas material, presenting these legendary demo-era songs with the production quality they always deserved.
Featuring original Death members Rick Rozz and Terry Butler, alongside Matt Harvey (Exhumed, Gruesome) and Gus Rios, the album captures the raw spirit of the band’s formative years while remaining remarkably faithful to the original recordings.
The opening “Legion of Doom” immediately transports listeners back to 1984, followed by “Archangel” and “Power of Darkness”, which perfectly showcase the savage aggression of early Death. “Zombie”, “Witch of Hell”, and “Rise of Satan” highlight the horror-inspired themes that defined the band’s earliest songwriting.
The second half—“Summoned To Die,” “Mantas,” “Slaughterhouse,” and “Death By Metal”—continues with short, explosive songs packed with savage riffs and youthful intensity. Nothing feels overproduced or modernized. Instead, the record embraces its primitive spirit while allowing every instrument to finally breathe.
Matt Harvey delivers an outstanding performance, capturing Chuck Schuldiner’s early style without falling into caricature, while Rozz, Butler, and Rios provide the authenticity that only musicians with a genuine connection to this material can offer.
Initium Mortis isn’t a new Death album, nor does it try to be. Instead, it faithfully recreates the atmosphere of the band’s earliest days, when everything was raw, dangerous, and full of limitless ambition.
The album arrives on July 17 via Relapse Records—a release date that also happens to be my birthday, making it the perfect birthday gift for this reviewer. Following the release, Left To Die will embark on an extensive European tour, including appearances at Rockstadt Extreme Fest, Alcatraz Festival, Brutal Assault, and numerous club shows across Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Belgium, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands, bringing these legendary songs back to life on stage.
For longtime Death fans, this is essential listening. For younger fans, it offers the perfect opportunity to experience the very foundations of death metal.
8,5/10
Dinos Karras
