Spiritus Mortis

Spiritus Mortis was formed in late summer of 1987. The first band in Finland to be called as a DOOM act.
First album was released 2004 and second “Fallen” 2006.

Some reviews;

“I consider your way of playing pure Doom Metal as very original, as it melts both old Doom in the vein of i.e. BLACK SABBATH, TROUBLE, SAINT VITUS and the likes with the power and variety of CANDLEMASS adding some definite 70s` Hard Rock elements inspired by i.e. RAINBOW, THIN LIZZY or UFO. A great art!”

“Spiritus Mortis is a true metal classic, on par with Sabbath and the Obsessed. No exaggeration. This is a rock solid hour of molten riffs and sophisticated and subtle songwriting..”

“a truly excellent hybrid. Something between Candlemass and Saxon..... And the greatest thing is that this record sounds as if Spiritus Mortis have taken only the best from their inspirational guides. As a matter of fact, with the strong epic edge of (old school) Heavy Metal and the sludgy heaviness of Doom, the Finns have created some sort of quite refreshing new style that should please lots of metalheads.”

“Hier bahnt sich ein echtes Highlight an! Kaufen Leute! Ob nun Black Sabbath, Saint V. oder Candlemass Fans, hier kommen alle auf ihren Geschmack! Ein echt geniales Werk! „

“Well, what we have here is generally slow-burning, thunderous, bottom-end heavy traditional doom metal in the vein of Sabbath and Trouble, cloaked in a tendency towards epic dynamism that hints occasionally to Solitude Aeturnus and sprinkled liberally with a dosage of NWOBHM melody and energy.”

“If you crave a Doom laden masterpiece in the Trouble tradition make it this one. You will need no other.”

„Die Band, besteht schon seit 1987, mischt klassischen Doom, ein wenig Thrash und true Manowar-Power Metal-Sounds. Im Ergebnis klingt das einfach klasse, denn der Sound bleibt jedezeit heavy und voll. Die Finnen präsentieren sich teils verspielt, aber gleichfalls auch deutlich auf die eigenen Roots hin ausgerichtet. Mit Candlemass teilt man weit mehr als nur die Spielart des Doom.“

„When I think of doom I imagine crushingly heavy, thick rhythm guitars, bowel-shaking bass, and simple yet purposeful drumming. Spiritus Mortis embodies all of these characteristics. In the spirit of St.Vitus, Trouble and Candlemass (albeit with a few extra influences), Finland's Spiritus Mortis have created a near masterpiece of the genre with their first full length album. “

Spiritus Mortis's sound is very much in the classic doom mold a la Candlemass and Trouble, with a touch of thrash, a bit of stoner doom, and old school power metal a la Manowar. This is heavy stuff, with some excellent and catchy riffs. They are a bit more lively than their predecessors, with a fresh approach to a classic genre.

I seem to luck out when buying things on a whim, with no hype surrounding it or high expectations. Spiritus Mortis holds the traditional doom flag high and proud. It's a style that too few many bands embrace these days, and it's a shame. Heavy, catchy, and with a nice variety of approaches to the doomgenre, I can't stress enough how good this is .

Chris Barnes/HellRideMusic
Metal is a lot like college football. There are those that have heart and you can tell right off the bat because the output is turbo charged, original and unsullied by commercial pretension. That would describe Fallen. If you've been plagued by 20 years of bad luck and still bring it when it's time to record, you've got heart. I'm really impressed not only by SM's battle-hardened, riff-centric doom, such as the dying hero anthem "Leave Me" (first heard on their Summer Of Love demo), the paranoia-drenched two-some "Something Came And Killed" and "Beware Of The Quiet One" (all which could be right at home on Dehumanizer-era Sabbath) but the uptempo stuff as well. "New Age" packs a wallop right out of the gates with it's punchy, infectious riff and killer stun-bass solo. Death from above strikes like lightning on the Kamikaze-crazed "Divine Wind" and Road Warrior epic "Wasteland" features a killer early Maidenesque riff and a chorus Dickenson would love to sink his chops into.

Zero-Tolerance.mag
Spiritus Mortis get labelled as a Doom band, but they offer so much more. The enormous continent-smashing riffs of guitar duo Jussi and VP are simple, but massively catchy and full of irresistible groove. Oozing quality from every pore, Fallen is a vast, crushing, destroying doom-machine that annihilates everything in its path, yet each song is also cunningly laced with sublime touches of discerning charm. Whether it be the irrepressible soaring metal attack of 'Divine Wind', the monolithic pulsating doom of 'All This In The Name Of Love' or paying homage to Slayer in the deliciously infectious groove of 'Sleeping Beneath The Lawn', SM succeed song after song. All these unique gems slot together to form a seamless captivating whole that makes for a supreme album experience. SM don't give a shit about trends; they have re-forged the entertaining spirit of 80's metal into the crushing doom of today. The mountainous upbeat presence of Fallen is the very pinnacle of Doom Metal. Don't even hesitate; get this now! 5.5 out of 6

Kerrang
“Finland's Spiritus Mortis have been plugging away for years but the wait for their debut has been well worth the effort. Like a gritty, metallic blend of The Obsessed and Candlemass, the band's sound throbs with epic grandeur while maintaining that all-important core of arse-rattling, lo-fi fuzz. 4/5”

Metal Hammer
Here's an album to slow the pulse of all doom devotees to a steady and welcoming funereal pace. Spiritus Mortis could be the illegitimate offspring of Texans Solitude Aeturnus, or the natural successors to the legendary Saint Vitus. …. Their torturous journey has clearly allowed them to develop doom-laden skills that will be the envy of many. Yet, such is the fury and conniving conviction that it has a realsense of flow and purpose. While the songs are, for the most part, brilliantly executed by on instrumental brotherhood that knows how to forge riffs from the furnace of the past doom masters (mention must also be made of early Trouble and Candlemass)… Even though it does occasionally dip, "Spiritus Mortis" reinvigorates the spirit of doommetal for '04.

Malcolm Dome (8/10)

January 2009 Sami Hynninen (The Puritan, Reverend Bizarre) joins as vocalist. Spiritus Mortis signed a record deal with Firebox Records and their third album, "The God Behind the God" was released 13.5.2009. Before album 7" single was released.

Some reviews about brand new album;

“So, After their previous stunning albums “S/T” and “Fallen” (2004 and 2006) and having only some months before the release announcing the new vocalist of the band which is Sami Hynninen (A.K.A. Sir Albert Witchfinder, ex Reverend Bizarre), our need for pure, and straight doom metal, at last has been covered in the best possible way. Although the album’s starter (Man Of Steel) moves more into traditional heavy metal sound (Manowar) the album soon returns to the classic tortured doomed way of Spiritus Mortis playing, with boosted rhythm section, long tracks, some minimal melodic lines and of course tons of Sabbathic Riffing

Well as an epilogue to this review I’d like to remind that Spiritus Mortis is the oldest doom metal band from Finland (1987) and from the deepest parts of my tortured soul I wish the band that this album would be the reason to become more known around the world… In Doom!“

„Firebox veröffentlichen jetzt den dritten Longplayer der Band, die sich seit Januar 2009 mit dem exzellenten neuen Frontmann Sami Hynninen (ex-Reverend Bizarre!) verstärkt hat.

"The God Behind The God" ist ein weiteres Lehrstück in Sachen DOOM! Kompromisslos, einzigartig und mit unglaublich viel Leidenschaft. Laaaangsam aber sicher stehen die Zeichen auf Sturm!“

Jäsenet:

Sami Hynninen (Vocals)
Jussi Maijala (Guitars)
Kari Lavila (Guitars)
Teemu Maijala (Bass)
Jarkko Seppälä (Drums)

Spiritus Mortis

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