by Vincent JeffriesPicking up where they left off with their debut, Rhymes of Lunacy, Memento Mori continues with their plodding approach to near-doom metal on 1996's Life, Death & Other Morbid Tales. Guitarists Mike Wead and Nikkey Argento, drummer Snowy Shaw, keyboardist Miguel Robaina, bassist Marty Marteen, and ex-Candlemass vocalist Messiah Marcolin kick out some slower, heavier, more doom-influenced metal jams on this, their sophomore effort. But Life, Death & Other Morbid Tales is every bit as forgettable as its predecessor. Each of the record's nine tracks has a thick groove and a nice melody or two, but none of it ever adds up to a single memorable song. Memento Mori never did release a career-defining disc, and their accomplishments were few despite Marcolin's position as one of doom metal's modern architects. Like all of their CDs, this Black Mark offering is yet another testimony to the group's unfulfilled potential.