Mordred "In this Life" - [Bleeding Priest's Bay Area Metal Spotlight #5]
- Bleeding Priest
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
What’s up, and welcome to another edition of Bleeding Priest’s Bay Area Metal Spotlight. This one might come as a surprise to some of you.
In 1991, when this album came out—the one I’m going to be talking about—funk thrash was taking over the Bay Area scene like crazy. You wouldn’t believe it. Every time you went to the Stone or the Omni, at least two of the opening bands on whatever bill were funk thrash bands. Even bands that were straight-up thrash before suddenly started incorporating funk into their sound—seemingly overnight.
I think it was Faith No More that really led the charge in the Bay Area for bands to start getting funky. And I gotta tell you, I was not a fan of that whole scene.
So it doesn’t really make any sense why this album I’m about to talk about is one of my favorite Bay Area music releases of all time. Like, this might be in my top five—not just metal, but any album that’s ever come out of the Bay. You like Montrose or whatever? I’d still have to say that Mordred’s In This Life is probably in my top five favorite Bay Area albums.
And it wasn’t an easy sell, either. I was kicking and screaming before admitting I liked it. I remember Ted Aguilar bought the record—actually, he bought the cassette—and we were listening to it in his mom’s car. I was putting up a front, like, “No, man. No way. I’m not gonna accept this funk thrash stuff.” But secretly, I was gushing over how much I loved the record and how brilliant and amazing it is on every fucking level.
This album is just beautiful music. It’s incredible. It didn’t win me over to the whole Funk Thrash scene—I didn’t start listening to all the other bands doing that sound—but I sure as hell love this album. I can’t even explain why it’s so different than the rest, but it is.
Mordred are just a wonderfully talented and creative band with no boundaries. Everything they do pretty much rules. The funny thing is, their debut album, Fool’s Game, was pretty much straight-up thrash. There were a couple of funky songs on there, but it felt more like a novelty. Then with In This Life, they fully embraced it. Funk became a major part of their sound—not just on a couple tracks, but on every single song.
To be honest, I didn’t really care for the first Mordred album when they were full-on thrash. It wasn’t bad—it just didn’t speak to me or stand out among the other thrash albums at the time. It didn’t feel that special. But lo and behold, when they put out their funk thrash masterpiece, In This Life, that’s when I became a full-fledged Mordred fan.
The production is incredible. The performances—like I said—just beautiful music and beautiful guitar harmonies. Jim Sanguinetti and Danny White—their guitar interplay is amazing throughout the album. And I have to say, DJ Pause is the unsung hero on this record and in Mordred in general.
I’m not gonna claim to be a hip-hop guy—I don’t listen to much hip-hop or rap—but when he does his songs live, those are the highlights of a Mordred set. When he takes the mic and starts rapping, he’s got great flow, and his voice just sounds great to my ears. I enjoy when he takes the spotlight.
His DJing skills are incredible. What he does on this album adds so much to the music. A lot of times, when I hear a DJ over rock music, I want to smash my stereo—it usually detracts or just feels like an annoyance. But never the case with DJ Pause and Mordred. His samples and effects even add humor at times. But overall, it’s always great—it’s never a hindrance—and it elevates the whole thing.
Mordred are still a kick-ass band. They put out a great record a year or two ago called The Dark Parade, and their current lineup is kicking ass. I’m glad they’re still around—or back together, I should say.
So go figure—this Funk Thrash album is one of my top-tier records of all time from the Bay Area. Check out In This Life. I can’t explain why it’s so good or why it speaks to me so much—but it really, really does. It’s masterful music. It’s awesome.
–Bleeding Priest