In H.G. Wells's The Time Machine, the Morlocks are cannibalistic creatures living underground, monstrous descendants of human beings, symbolising class warfare at its most extreme. From time to time, they come up to the surface to eat the Eloi, other descendants of mankind but who, roughly speaking, are the wealthy. Underground ragged monsters who rarely come out of their lair to wreak havoc? The comparison with the band is easy: the Swedes of Morlocks teach us patience. With scattered periods of activity since 1991 and three albums (in 2001, 2011 and 2023), you can't really say that Johan Strauss and his pals have flooded the world with their madness.
Rejoice: we only had to wait a long year to reunite with their epic, symphonic industrial rock and be granted with a successor to Praise the Iconoclast (which featured guest vocals from KMFDM and Dark Funeral' singers, no less!). The title of this new big EP, full of covers and updates of old tracks, sets the scene: Amor, Monstra Et Horrore Profundi. Latin sounds good, it sounds prophetic. With Morlocks, the discrepancy only serves to wrap our worst nightmares in biting irony. As they say: situation normal: all fucked up.
With furious beats, an irresistible groove, chanted lyrics... right down to the male and female vocals answering each other, the new version of The S.N.A.F.U. Principle (a track dating back to 2001) reminds us why these guys aroused Konietzko's eardrums curiosity. And then it takes off. An unbridled solo, bizarre vocal effects and, above all, symphonic parts and theatrical backing vocals make the track explode in a multitude of directions, giving it the apocalyptic scope of J.G. Thirlwell's creations, with a touch of cheekiness. The result is epic, exhilarating, psychedelic: Morlocks' creativity and fantasy are a breath of fresh air.
Is it an isolated stroke of genius? An opening full of false promises (after all, it's an old song)? No way! It was just an appetiser. The insanity of the Morlocks is revealed as the incredible March of the Goblins, another old song revisited, progresses: martial riffs, epic orchestrations, multiple voices, folk instruments, Lovecraftian incantations... What the hell is this? Danny Elfman stealing PIG's exuberance and giving us industrial-style fantasy, with binnies and the shadow of Cthulhu somewhere in there? Brilliant.
More emphasis, fewer boundaries: Morlocks take their time, slowing the pace, darkening the landscape. The guitar scratches with a grimace on the second half of The Lake, a surprising Bathory cover, hidden threats, gothic heaviness: yeah, yeah, we've got an inverted U-shaped mouth too, we're not happy, we're dark. Apocalyptic industrial heaviness (always those far too cool backing vocals), perched lulls, the deviant borborygms of a mutant crooner. It's like hallucinating, delirium tremens in the middle of Mordor. The final track is a cover of Young Prisoners, taken from the Slovenian electro-industrial-EBM rock band Borghesia. The original already oozed industrial madness, Morlocks adds a grandiose tone that's both heroic and sick.
Broadway seriously needs to take a look at Morlocks. Their new EP is the perfect material for a musical, you just need to create some slightly bizarre costumes. Or keep the armadillo on the artwork. Armadillos are great, they're very gothic. Take another look at Tod Browning's Dracula and The Mark of the Vampire, where these charming animals replace the traditional rats for some obscure reason, and you'll see. You need creepy-crawlies that are both funny and disgusting. We need fire. We need some crazy, barefoot prophets screaming that the end is nigh. We still don't know whether Amor, Monstra Et Horrore Profundi is the perfect EP to bring on the apocalypse or to celebrate it. In doubt turn up the volume, chant and set everything on fire. Grandiloquent, crazy, intense, nasty, hilarious, delightful, as wide as a blockbuster, as twisted as a B-movie: it's a stroke of genius. Let's hope all this heralds a new album!
