Fleshcrawl Soulskinner
Metalblade January 15th 2002
By Russell Garwood
German five piece Fleshcrawl released Soulskinner, their fourth album, through Metalblade records on January 15th. The band plays a form of melodic death owing little to the Gothenburg sound - while melodic, their music is more brutal than most NWOSDM bands. The subject matter too, is more traditional death metal-orientated. Lyrics like Forever and ever in pain/The legions of hatred are marching to reign/Dark forces and power are fighting till death, while unoriginal, mark the band apart from many Swedish death groups.
Sven Gross vocals are more guttural than the average rasp, making for heavier music, and the melodic guitars of Mike and Stefan Hanus have numerous start-stop and less tuneful sections. The blasting, fast drums courtesy of Basti Herzog also make for a more extreme album, while Tobias Schicks bass is less audible. The mixing on Soulskinner could be better, but the sound quality is good and the bands production accomplished.
The ten tracks on this album include a cover of Judas Priests Metal Gods. Standouts include Legions Of Hatred, for its melodic form of aggression, and The Forthcoming End, which slows the pace down and allows grinding guitars to take the forefront. The highly Geiger-influenced artwork matches the music well, and while an interesting take on a rapidly aging sound, I feel Fleshcrawl need more variety to hold the listeners interest. This would be a good album for fans of melodic death looking for something heavier, and would also satisfy old-school brutal death fans.
Metalblade January 15th 2002
By Russell Garwood
German five piece Fleshcrawl released Soulskinner, their fourth album, through Metalblade records on January 15th. The band plays a form of melodic death owing little to the Gothenburg sound - while melodic, their music is more brutal than most NWOSDM bands. The subject matter too, is more traditional death metal-orientated. Lyrics like Forever and ever in pain/The legions of hatred are marching to reign/Dark forces and power are fighting till death, while unoriginal, mark the band apart from many Swedish death groups.
Sven Gross vocals are more guttural than the average rasp, making for heavier music, and the melodic guitars of Mike and Stefan Hanus have numerous start-stop and less tuneful sections. The blasting, fast drums courtesy of Basti Herzog also make for a more extreme album, while Tobias Schicks bass is less audible. The mixing on Soulskinner could be better, but the sound quality is good and the bands production accomplished.
The ten tracks on this album include a cover of Judas Priests Metal Gods. Standouts include Legions Of Hatred, for its melodic form of aggression, and The Forthcoming End, which slows the pace down and allows grinding guitars to take the forefront. The highly Geiger-influenced artwork matches the music well, and while an interesting take on a rapidly aging sound, I feel Fleshcrawl need more variety to hold the listeners interest. This would be a good album for fans of melodic death looking for something heavier, and would also satisfy old-school brutal death fans.
