DEEDS OF FLESH „Reduced To Ashes”

RUNNING TIME : 46.35

I eagerly await a new Deeds Of Flesh album as much as a new Katatonia or Opeth – such is the effect they have on me. Their music tends to be able to reach the parts other groups just can't reach. With each new release they have been threatening to drop a piece of work as brutal, as tight and as downright scary as this.

The album kicks off with the title track and is arguably the best song Deeds have ever penned. Starting with a suitable sound clip, it then rips straight into a huge (and I mean monstrous) riff which is guaranteed to knock you flat from 100 paces. Full of blast beats (a special mention must go to Mike for his impressive drumming) this is the perfect opener. It sets the scene and leaves you to prepare your self for the rest of the album. The slow outro riff is simply haunting and Erik's vocals will scare the pants off you.

Every song on this album is a lesson in creating eerie atmospheres (sometimes they sound like Emperor – take a listen to Disinterred Archaic Heap)) all mixed in with the fastest music on earth. It will blow you away. Full stop. However, in spite of all the brutality, there is still melody in the songs, not a melody like you might find on a Hammerfall album for example, but a melody which gives the songs some substance. I could describe each song to you individually, but that would just mean you were spending more time in front of the computer, time which would be better spent going out and getting hold of a copy of this.

One thing I noticed with interest is that this time around, the band chose a different studio (Avalon Digital Recording studio) and produced the album themselves. This was perhaps a wise choice as it sounds fresh and in your face. Some brutal death metal bands prefer the old school sound, but it doesn't do anything for me. Music like this can only be appreciated fully if the listener can hear everything that's going on. The guitars here cut through the mix like ten machetes attached to Michael Myers rampaging through a supermarket.

The lyrics are intelligently written (another rarity) and are spewed out utilising a range of vocal styles. Deeds haven't softened for anybody, and if anything, have become even more extreme. They've obviously been practising hard and the touring has tightened them up so that they are now a formidable unit..

After the band members kept coming and going, I wondered if they were going to last, but once again, they have delivered a huge “fuck you” to the unbelievers and a “thank you” to the fans. With more extensive touring lined up for this year, we could be in for something very special next time around.