ALBUM REVIEW: Obituary, "Dying of Everything"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 13/01/2023
Label: Relapse Records
 

“Dying of Everything” CD//CS//DD/LP track listing:
 
1). Barely Alive
2. The Wrong Time
3). Without a Conscience
4). War
5). Dying of Everything
6). My Will To Survive
7). By The Dawn
8). Weaponize The Hate
9). Torn Apart
10). Be Warned
 
The Review:
 
Obituary- Florida’s death metal merchants par excellence are back. If the last self-titled album was a rather anthemic collection of death metal, “Dying of Everything” is perhaps a little murkier and a little darker. I rated the previous album very highly- not least because it seemed energised and turbo charged in a way that, say, “Inked In Blood”, was not. The core of the band remains intact- Donald and John Tardy alongside the perennial axeman Trevor Peres. Most recent joining member, Ken Andrews, is firmly embedded here on guitar and pops up in the writing credits while the formidable low end of Death alumni Terry Butler fills out the line-up.
 
Obituary are a unique proposition within death metal. No one else sounds like them. They mix death, doom, mid tempo grooves and the inimitable vocals of John Tardy into a swampy concoction that is immensely heavy, occasionally catchy, sometimes fast but never hyper speed.
 
As is the band’s way, “Barely Alive” opens things here; it’s a characteristically speedy start with Don firing on all cylinders and the band sounding fired up. The production is massive- serious low end and large drum sizes coalescing to make a thunderous racket.
 
From there, the band runs through an admirable gamut of styles. “The Wrong Time” is catchy and grooves in the mid tempo range. “Without Conscience” is prime Obituary while “War” slows things down and echoes 1994’s “World Demise” with its pacing and main riff hammered home ad nauseum. Obituary’s appeal lies in their ability to come up with surprisingly straightforward and catchy songs; often repetitive but never boring- they are masters of their fairly minimalist craft.
 
Ever since “Slowly We Rot”, the band have trodden a different path to their peers. When other bands were getting faster and faster, Obituary slowed down even more. While classic records like “Cause of Death” yielded live staples like “Chopped In Half” and “The End Complete” offered up a particularly bleak and downtuned vision of the world, the band later records are just as compelling. “Frozen In Time” rules. “Xecutioner’s Return” was monstrously weighty, “Darkest Day” was prime Obituary, their self titled work was believed by many to be as defining as “SWR” and so on. The band have never really put a foot wrong- other than splitting up a couple of times… but even then the comeback records have been worth the wait.
 
The one thing that quality has bread is a difficulty to differentiate between albums and eras beyond the first. Much like Motorhead and Overkill- or even Cannibal Corpse closer to home, Obituary have never really made a bad album, but they remain defined to some fans by their earliest work. They have their own slot, their own groove and sound and remain one of a kind.
 
As “Dying of Everything” progresses, the band continue to do what they do best- simple riffing, massive drums, insane vocals… it’s all here. If you have listened to Obituary in the past and not been convinced or won over, it’s unlikely that this record will change that. If you have liked any of the band’s albums, you’ll like this one.
 
Whether you are here for the slow-paced crushing songs like “My Will To Live” or the slightly more sprightly “By The Dawn”, your tastes will be catered for. My only wish is that the band would put the pedal to the metal a bit more often. I like when Obituary speeds up and thrashes out. You are always guaranteed a fast opener, but it would be nice if the band exceeded the speed limit more often.
That said, you cannot argue with the double bass drum grooves of “Weaponize The Hate”, the swagger of the title track or any of the lead work on offer here. It’s prime Obituary- and very heavy indeed. The record concludes with “Torn Apart” and “Be Warned”- rounding out 45 minutes- or thereabouts- of Floridian death metal that is simultaneously familiar and brand new.
 
So where does this sit in the pantheon of Obituary records- now stretching back to the 80s(!). Hmm. I think that “Dying of Everything” is probably going to settle as a mid-table/high mid-table showing. It’s not as instant as the self-titled record and not as vicious as “Frozen In Time” but the songs are good throughout and it’s reliably heavy, murky, dark and with all expected Obituary-isms operating in the upper gears. If you like the band, it’s essential listening. If you have never heard Obituary (?!?) then you can pick this album and get the idea. There are few bands at the very top table of the death metal genre, Obituary reserved their place well over thirty years ago and remain there to this day. No mean feat.
 
“Dying of Everything” is available HERE 

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Gatecreeper, "Deserted"

By: Garrett A. Tanner

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 04/10/2019

Label: Relapse Records

“Deserted” CD//LP Track listing:

1. Deserted

2. Puncture Wounds  

3. From the Ashes              

4. Ruthless                            

5. Everlasting                                       

6. Barbaric Pleasures        

7. Sweltering Madness     

8. Boiled Over

9. In Chains

10. Absence of Light

The Review:

What happens when you have an amazing band that dropped an amazing record, they set about work on another record? You have high expectations. What happens when the band proceeds to smash those expectations in a million beautiful pieces to become one with the sand? Sonic euphoria. 

Holy Bolt Thrower Batman, does Gatecreeper achieve this and then some, with “Deserted”!

“Sonoran Depravation” was such a blisteringly beautiful offering to the world that when word finally came about on a new release, the hype train began to charge full-steam ahead. The speeding locomotive never stopped, as Gatecreeper stoked the fires to 88mph, and transcended to a whole other dimensional timeline of metal magnitude. The whole album is on the same level of mind-bending inanity as anything by Tomb Mold or Triptykon. Gatecreeper unloads a blitzkrieg of riffs that rip open the mind like a bunker buster smashing into its target, and not giving one iota about defenses. Everything is just ripped apart and reduced to hot shrapnel in the sonic blast. 

Gatecreeper’s “Deserted” delivers from top to bottom, but there are specific awe inspiring points of brutal intensity. “Puncture Wounds” is the second track on the album that is preceded by a glorious invitingly bleak opening in “Deserted”. However, where the riffs pierce the ground and explode into a riff factory of hellish design is track two. These are grooves Bolt Thrower would approve of, and in many ways have that punishing feel that “The IVth Crusade” has. The album chugs along with spine shattering heaviness until “Ruthless” unloads a magazine full of rapid-firing picking into the ears of the listeners and assaulting the listener into a mesmerized sense of awe. After one’s body is left riddle to the bone, the onslaught continues. 

“Deserted” culminates with “In Chains” and “Absence of Light”. Not say that the album does not have philosophical inclinations, but Gatecreeper poured out the depths of existential dread in complete isolation to end the album. This is not just any means of isolation either, as the portents of both tracks fall into the realm of absurdity that Søren Kierkegaard resides in. The sacrifices we make to better uplift ourselves act oppositely and shackle us in servitude be it to our minds, or dogmas, material things, or those around us. They leave us a psychologically and emotionally deserted before us, and we do not realize until it is too late. 

“Deserted” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Full of Hell, "Weeping Choir"

By: Eeli Helin

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 14/05/2019

Label: Relapse Records

”Weeping Choir” CD//DD//CS//LP track listing:

1. Burning Myrrh

2. Haunted Arches

3. Thundering Hammer

4. Rainbow Coil

5. Aria of Jeweled Tears

6. Downward

7. Armory of Obsidian Glass

8. Silmaril

9. Angels Gather Here

10.Ygramul the Many

11. Cellar of Doors

The Review:

The US noisy grindcore envoys Full of Hell are back with a blast, releasing their fourth full-length (excluding their collabs with The Body) ”Weeping Choir” on May 14th, and the first under Relapse Records. It's been two years since their previous two albums, ”Trumpeting Ecstacy” and ”Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light”, their second album with the aforementioned experimental noise duo. The band's been highly prolific throughout their ten year career, and ”Weeping Choir” sounds like a band on their apex form.

Over time, Full of Hell's sound has evolved from more straightforward, hardcore impulsed grindcore into more noisy, more death metal influenced amalgamation of styles, and the evolution has been nothing but natural. You can also hear how the band has shaped and mastered their own territory, from where they can shoot to any direction without losing themselves or their fans in the process, conveniently always keeping their core exposed. You'll also find numerous confluences between their releases, tying it all ever so elegantly together without coming across as repetitive or harping.

”Weeping Choir”, as addressed by the band, is the direct continuation and mirror image of 'Trumpeting Ecstasy'. The idea is imminent since the songs share the same topics and dictums, the artworks are sort of inversions of each other and so on. The 25 minute LP ignites with "Burning Myrrh". With zero bullshit, the song eviscerates everything on it's way, churning unforgivingly for one and a half minutes before collapsing into a doomy outro glazed with haunting clean tones toward the end, fittingly proceeding straight into the second song titled "Haunted Arches". This and the following track "Thundering Hammers" continue to pillage and ravage in customary manner, giving the album one hell of a start. The next turn is slightly unexpected; "Rainbow Coil" is a longer instrumental build-up consisting of only noise and samples. 

Personally, I'm delighted that the band can pull of such an abrupt move so early on without losing the momentum at all. At this point you'll also pay attention to the production of the album. Produced/recorded by Kurt Ballou of Converge and mastered by Brad Boatright like the previous album, the overall sound is punishing but clear, keeping the grindcore identity and integrity without sacrificing itself upon the altar of messy and downright unpleasant execution.

"Aria of Jeweled Tears" picks up the pace and appears as the strongest track so far, followed up "Downward", a piece more reminiscent of the times of ”Roots of Earth Are Consuming My Home” and ”Rudiments of Mutilation”. At this point I might add, and people who like this sort of music will know what I mean, it might be hard to pick up any certain riffs or reasons to why certain tracks come across stronger than others. It's a matter of feeling and flow rather than the individual moments, which there are still many that can be clearly pointed out if necessary. A lot of these moments are sprinkled across "Armory of Obsidian Glass", the Lingua Ignota featuring gloomy and putrid magnificent oeuvre clocking nearly seven minutes, acts as a cornerstone placed precisely where it needs to be. The tracks swirls and sways between pummeling and redeeming, managing to capture a wide range of compositional dynamics and feelings to a single song. Lingua Ignota's feat is also spot on, guaranteed to give kicks to fans of either and both. Towards the end, the song introduces a new, blatantly and facetiously put, emotional side to the bands output, again proving Full of Hell to be a perennial shape shifter.

The remaining four tracks serve some of the highlights of their discography; "Silmaril" offers unexpected tempo changes and a vocal section resembling more of a moving clog in a sewer than a human. "Angels Gather Here" sounds like it could be in one of the collaboration albums with The Body, showing that Full of Hell are more than capable to rejoice in that kind of noise by themselves too. "Ygramul the Many" slaps in a saxophone solo, relating to the closer track in the Merzbow collab. "Cellar of Doors" conjures some pretty disgusting demons before offering the album an appropriate, sudden end.

Without turning this to anymore of a novel, ”Weeping Choir” is currently Full of Hell's grand work. It falls perfectly in line with all of their other releases, and continues their upward crawl back to God. What they do when they get there is unknown, but something to look forward to.

”Weeping Choir” is available here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Inter Arma, "Sulphur English"

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 12/04/2019

Label: Relapse Records

The triple guitar attacks, rippling blast beats, and ambient drones may make your skin crawl one moment, before taking your breath away with a moment of acoustic beauty.  If there’s a record coming this year that can outdo this one, I’m more than happy to listen.  But for now, Inter Arma stands head and shoulders above the rest

“Sulphur English” CD//DD//2LPTrack listing

1). Bumgardner

2). A Waxen Sea

3). Citadel

4). Howling Lands

5). Stillness

6). Observances of the Path

7). The Atavist’s Meridien

8). Blood on the Lupines

9). Sulphur English

The Review:

To call Inter Arma one of the standout groups in current metal feels like an understatement:  while they’ve been a solid doomy/sludgy/deathy collective since their debut, “Sundown”, their releases with Relapse Records, starting with 2013’s “Sky Burial”, have been increasingly complex, challenging, and moving. Their latest, “Sulphur English”, is yet another high water mark and an early contender for “year’s best”.

Like the best metal “intro” tracks, “Bumgardner” is atmospheric and pummeling leadup to the chaos and violence to follow.  The rolling drumbeats and mounting static lead right into the gargantuan central riff of “A Waxen Sea”.  You might imagine, with the churning, tidal instrumentation pervading the track, the lyrics would be sheer nihilism, but Inter Arma is a group that effortlessly embraces the terrifying and the sublime.  Some of the lyrics here are practically Wordsworthian: “The morning rises guardedly / Over a stirring countryside / Illuminating the far off sea. / A waxen shield, horizon’s protector.”  It isn’t so much pretty, as it is fundamentally stirring.  

“Citadel” turns toward grimness and decay, referring to the seasons spoiling, wounds “of corporeal and psychic root” that hold the narrator captive.  But Inter Arma keeps turning away from the metallic tropes of abject misery – while there is strife, lead singer Mike Paparo intones that, “A fire burns deep in the citadel of my heart”. Meanwhile, Steven Russell and Trey Dalton swap some of the most face-melting guitar leads and menacing harmonies this side of a Morbid Angel record.

It’s hard not to dissect each song at length – “Howling Lands” is like a death rock dirge crossed with a tribal war dance, highlighting the muscular power that drummer/multi-instrumentalist TJ Childers brings to the band. Plus, between “Howling Lands” and “Stillness”, Paparo pulls off a convincing gothic baritone that occasionally sounds like Danzig at his sweaty, howling best.

“Observances of the Path” serves as an interlude from the folk-metal hymnal of “Stillness” to the complex, polyrhythmic cacophony of “The Atavist’s Meridian”.  For nearly half the song’s twelve minutes, it builds in tension, never approaching a major key or melodic reprieve.  A mid-song interlude lulls the listener into a false sense of security, interspersing quieter, looser guitar picking with spoken word snippets, before gradually building to a violent climax that sounds like Childers is pummeling every drum in the western hemisphere.  I heard this track while driving through catastrophic rain and it was one of the most distressing, terrifying, and exhilarating listens I’ve had in a while – sometimes things just line up perfectly.

“Blood on the Lupines” may be the most “doom” track on the record, at least in terms of tempo and scorching, filthy bass tone courtesy of Joe Kerkes.  But the psychedelic guitar tones occasionally evoke Pink Floyd and early King Crimson.  Paparo dips into his baritone (now more Peter Steele than Glenn), but still howls and shrieks like he’s possessed by some primal, prehistoric spirit.  Taken in tandem with the closing title track, the demonic fury is a beautiful juxtaposition.  “Sulphur English” closes like a sermon, warning about the “corrupt tongue of imperious fools” and exhorting the crowd to “beware the charlatan”. I’d be tempted to draw current political analogies, but “Sulphur English’s themes echo through time, more Paleolithic than Anthropocene.  

The idea that these charlatans “in threads woven in gilded opulence” seem to emerge in every era is just as haunting as the propulsive, buzzing music that Inter Arma weaves through the track, and the album itself.  The triple guitar attacks, rippling blast beats, and ambient drones may make your skin crawl one moment, before taking your breath away with a moment of acoustic beauty.   “Sulphur English” is a rare record that functions both as a showcase of eclectic and skilled musicianship and a unified, brilliant tome best enjoyed in one prolonged listen.  If there’s a record coming this year that can outdo it, I’m more than happy to listen.  But for now, Inter Arma stands head and shoulders above the rest.

“Sulphur English” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Author & Punisher, "Beastland"

By: Elliot Paisley


Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 05/10/2018

Label: Relapse Records

The savagery does not dilute in the presence of melody, and instead, it complements the moments of pure mayhem that are indeed present throughout.

“Beastland” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Pharmacide
2. Nihil Strength
3. Ode to Bedlam
4. The Speaker is Systematically Blown

5. Nazarene
6. Apparition
7. Night Terror
8. Beastland

The Review:

There is no artist in the world quite like Author & Punisher. One may accuse such a statement of hyperbole or ignorance, but when one analyses the character of the man and the nature of his work, it is clear such art is being made without relevant precedent. Aesthetically there is influence from Godflesh, Nine Inch Nails and Throbbing Gristle, but even those bands feel entirely distant from what Stone is producing. While the project can be loosely defined as a ‘one-man industrial doom metal band’, when one discovers the story behind it and the music being produced, this feels woefully lacking.

Tristan Stone, the brainchild ofA&P , is not just a musician, but also a mechanical engineer. This may sound like unnecessary trivia, but it is important to bear in mind when listening to this album. The majority of the instrumentation and controllers he uses, affectionally labeled "Dub Machines" and "Drone Machines", are designed and constructed by Shone from raw materials and electronic circuitry. This level of individualism scares off pretenders, who are simply incapable of recreating it. His live performances employ the same tools, and visually it barelen resembles a musical recital.

“Beastland” is his 6th studio album, but it was only on his album “Melk En Honing” when the music world at large appeared to finally take notice. While it is evident that the metal community has been far more welcoming of Author & Punisher than experimental music circles, he is just at home in both. A guest appearance on Cattle Decapitation’s 2015 effort “The Anthropocene Extinction” endeared him and signing to Phil Anselmo’s Housecore Records endeared him further to metal fans, to the point where Relapse Records took notice and employed him on their roster 2 years ago. Following up “Melk En Honing” was no easy task, and many feared that A&P, like their influences, was doomed to fall into repetition and not explore the necessary frontiers

However, on this album, perhaps with the confidence that comes with the backing of a cult fanbase, Author & Punisher has strode into even more experimental territory. This is the most wildly diverse album he’s released thus far, and for that reason, it is also his finest achievement. Music of this nature can wear on one’s psyche upon repeated, unrelenting listens. However, “Beastland”, with its refreshing experimentation and unwillingness to compromise, cures this ill. While there are plenty of ‘home comforts’ (for lack of a better term) present here, with such songs as “Pharmacide”, “Nihil Strength” and “Night Terror” providing the unrelenting, atonal bludgeoning fans have grown so dependent on, A&P remains unafraid to explore new horizons. “Apparition” and “The System Has Systematically Blown” sees Stone channelling his inner Trent Reznor, as his will for arcane melody bleeds through to the surface. This is the closest they have come to replicating the style of another band, and it would possibly prove problematic to fans, was it not done to such a marvellous standard. The savagery does not dilute in the presence of melody, and instead, it complements the moments of pure mayhem that are indeed present throughout.


This album is also the most complete work in his discography: never before has he released a collection as all-encompassing with as an impressive a scope as here. From the opening crushing moments of “Pharmacide”, likely to liquidize your teeth if listened to at too unforgiving a volume, to the closing moments of the title track, an angular and alluring finale, the album drags you through a merciless nightmare, meticulously engineered by Stone. In the past, he has shown promise of such accomplished creativity, but all his past works pale in comparison to what has been done here.

Author & Punisher remain one of the most exciting acts in underground music, and it is only a matter of time before the world at large acknowledges the importance of his work. Whether it be in our lifetime or simply in the coming years, let it be known that Tristan Stone will receive the praise he deserves beyond his existing community, and “Beastland” is all the proof necessary.

“Beastland” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Yob, "Our Raw Heart"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 08/06/2018

Label: Relapse Records

Clever arrangement, subtlety over volume and a clear-eyed grasp of honing an atmosphere make these cuts inviting in myriad ways. They're the kind of songs that give you a front-row seat for Yob's past meeting its future, and you cannot help but be transfixed.

“Our Raw Heart” CD//CS//DD//2LP track listing:

1). Ablaze

2). The Screen

3). In Reverie

4). Lungs Reach

5). Beauty In Falling Leaves

6). Original Face

7). Our Raw Heart

                     

The Review:

Yob has emerged as perhaps doom's most popular band of the moment, though the band's presence has hardly been momentary. Since 2002's "Elaborations of Carbon," the Eugene, Oregon-based collective have stoked a passionate fan base. Its albums have gotten progressively stronger as Yob's sound has matured. "The Illusion of Motion," released by Metal Blade in 2004, and "The Unreal Never Lived" offered up the following year, were considered watermarks for the group. Yob's 2006 breakup did not last too long. Its return in the form of "The Great Cessation" was greeted with much praise for a deeper, denser aural than ever before.

And so it has gone. Solid but infrequent albums and lots of live performances became an unfortunate drought of about four years. "Clearing the Path to Ascend" in 2014 was a stunning record, one that vaulted Yob even higher. Without question, the band has been consistent in its growth and overall quality. "…Ascend" helped the group's mythos only expand.

"Our Raw Heart," has already won plaudits from across the spectrum. For good reason. Yob's return is magnificent. Yet it's outstanding not because it's heavy. It is, somewhat, but "Our Raw Heart" succeeds because it is visionary, emotional and more innovative than virtually every single one of Yob's contemporaries. It's a great album because it sounds wholly atypical of what you think of metal, yet it is quintessentially metal.

Yob's newest is influenced by Mike Scheidt's brush with death in 2017. He nearly succumbed to an infection created by complications related to other problems, but it is not the first time the band's spiritual leader has looked over the abyss with his tribe. Fans of "…Ascend" and other albums may have most loved Scheidt's vulnerability, and his examination of his own mental health issues and other struggles in his songwriting and performances. Thus it is fitting that "Our Raw Heart" would beckon this tattered brother- and sisterhood into Scheidt's world one more time. And, as you may have heard on "The Screen," released just before the album, there's going to be pain. "Sensing old death, sharing no house with it," Scheidt muses. "In moments obscure, that which endures."

That’s part about being somewhat heavy? Truth be told, Yob will never be a pop band and are not abandoning the wall of sound the band so masterfully creates. Those tense moments as in "The Screen" (tightly wound in its own right, surely) are paired with all-out harsher tracks such as "In Reverie," with some of the cascading, volume-notched heavy music you will hear in a minute. "Original Face" in another one of those songs certain to remind you how hard Yob can bring its music, and why their creativity in doing it is so revered. Clever arrangement, subtlety over volume and a clear-eyed grasp of honing an atmosphere make these cuts inviting in myriad ways. They're the kind of songs that give you a front-row seat for Yob's past meeting its future, and you cannot help but be transfixed.

What may end up etched in your own heart, however, are the more delicate, complex songs. "Lungs Reach" lolls gently out of the mist, as wisps of guitar and then that challenging voice come for you. "Beauty in Falling Leaves" glances by with affirmative chords that lead you to a valley of despondent rhythms, until it soars with Scheidt's inimitable vocal. By the time the album closes with the title track, a 14-minute cohesive yet inescapably macabre centerpiece, you learn slowly that this is why Yob has fashioned an arc of almost mythological proportions. Greater than most, more dynamic than more, "Our Raw Heart" is what makes metal you cannot but love.

“Our Raw Heart” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Skinless, ‘Savagery’

By: Daniel Jackson

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 11/05/2018

Label: Relapse Records

On “Savagery” Skinless are very clearly still Skinless, they’re just a better and more imaginative version of what they’ve always been  and in the process they’ve come up with an album that stands up to their legacy albums and then some.

‘Savagery’ CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Savagery

2. Siege Engine

3. Skull Session

4. Reversal of Fortune

5. Exacting Revenge

6. Medieval

7. Line of Dissent

8. Cruel Blade of the Guillotine

9. The Hordes

Bonus Track:

10. High Rate Extinction (Crowbar Cover)

The Review:

You generally know what you’re getting into when a new Skinless album finds its way to the masses. It’s going to be brutal, ugly death metal, just as they’ve done for more than 20 years now. But it’s also true that even the most diehard death metal devotees are likely to feel a need to toy with their own formula eventually. To a reserved degree; that’s the case on Skinless’ new album ‘Savagery’. The changes the band have undergone with this album are not the sort of abrupt sharp turns in direction of bands like Katatonia or Ulver or even Carcass. Instead, Skinless have gone with a more subtle tact to freshening things up.

One such change, which is obvious from the get-go is that the band has opted for a much warmer, dirtier production this time around. In the past, Skinless has tended to go with a more “brutal death metal standard” production approach, where everything sounds sharp, crisp, to the point of feeling clinical. On ‘Savagery’, a lot of that sharpness is replaced by a grimier guitar tone, and by going with a much more natural, roomy sound over all. The production works exceedingly well at setting this album apart from the rest of the band’s discography without even looking at their compositional choices.

The songs themselves feel different than anything the band have done too. There’s less of a focus on speed. You’ll still find plenty of intricate, hacking riffs, if that’s your thing, but you’ll also find a greater variety to what you’re hearing than Skinless have ever offered. “Siege Engine” tries its hand at bigger, catchier riffs to great success, which should make the track a live staple. Balancing those larger riffs with some blast n’ trem keeps the song from feeling too self-awarely anthemic, but the song’s a self-contained riff machine in either case.

Meanwhile songs like “Exacting Revenge” and “Medieval” have something of a moodier disposition, where the riffs have an almost sludgy texture to them, the pace sometimes slowed to a near crawl. With that in mind, “Medieval” might be the best song on the album. It’s absolutely rotten with ugly harmonizing and apocalyptic chord work. It harkens back to some of the slower moments on Suffocation’s ‘Pierced From Within’, but tackles that sound in a very different way, and the slower breakdowns in the songs second half are absolutely crushing.

It’s not that Skinless have reinvented their own wheel on ‘Savagery’, so much as that they’ve just found new ways to work within their established sound. They’re very clearly still Skinless, they’re just a better and more imaginative version of what they’ve always been. It’s a hard thing, trying to compete with nostalgia and legacy, but Skinless has come up with an album that stands up to their legacy albums and then some. No mean feat for a band twenty years on from their full length debut.

“Savagery” is available digitally, on CD and LP here

Band info: Facebook || bandcamp