Rising from the murky depths of early '90s Eastern Europe, Mortal Slaughter’s
Lepers stands as a fiercely underrated document of death metal’s golden era—raw, unpolished, and utterly relentless. While many bands were chasing tighter production and technical complexity, Mortal Slaughter opted instead for a meat-grinder approach that fuses the bone-breaking weight of classic Death and Obituary with the ragged thrash edge of early Sepultura and Slayer. It’s ugly, aggressive, and gloriously uncompromising.
From the eerie synth intro of “Commissioned Murder,” the band sets a grim tone before diving headlong into a flurry of chainsaw riffs and pummeling drums. Guitarist Robert Kocon and bassist Tomasz Siwiec craft a buzzsaw tone that slices through the mix, while Dariusz Szymanek's vocal performance is a standout—sick, throaty, and urgent, channeling the tortured howls of Tardy and the manic energy of Van Drunen.
What Lepers may lack in technical refinement, it more than compensates for in sheer riff density. Tracks like “Masterful Religions” and “Glass the Abyss” grind forward with momentum-killing breakdowns, sudden tempo shifts, and an underlying sense of dread. While the drumming occasionally falls into clunky territory, there's an undeniable charm in its looseness—it gives the songs a volatile, almost punk-like unpredictability.
“Freedom” surprises with a haunting, clean guitar intro before exploding into one of the album’s most satisfying chugging riffs. Meanwhile, “Nobody’s Words” and “Why” embody the band's strength in crafting groovy, mid-paced mosh sections that feel custom-built for grimy basements and bloodied pits.
This isn’t a slick or particularly accessible record, and that’s precisely its appeal. Lepers lives in that sweet spot between thrash’s raw aggression and death metal’s unrelenting weight. It's rough around the edges, at times uneven, but absolutely dripping with authenticity and attitude.
For fans of old-school death metal who value mood and muscle over polish, Lepers is a criminally overlooked gem. File it alongside Leprosy, Beneath the Remains, and From Beyond—not because it’s as iconic, but because it captures that same feral spirit. Mortal Slaughter may have never made it to the global stage, but with Lepers, they made damn sure their presence was felt.
