Scent Of Flesh
Deform In Torture
6.1
Synopsis:
Scent of Flesh once again show there’s more to the Finnish music scene than doom and gloom or chainmail thongs and beer
Review:
Other than Sotajumala, off the top of my head, I can’t think of too many quality brutal death metal acts from Finland, and the last time I heard this act was their average but competent debut, The Roaring Depths of Insanity. Well, not much has changed and while Deform In Torture isn’t going to have the impact of say Nile, Behemoth, Mithras, Sarpanitum, Vital Remains, Immolation and Obituary on 2007’s death metal landscape, it is a solid release that fits in nicely next to the Vomitory’s, Aeon’s, Defeated Sanity’s, Disavowed’s, Fleshcrawl’s, Godless Rising’s and Malignancy’s of the year: solid, brutal, entertaining but hardly groundbreaking.
Very American in their tone and technicality, Scent of Flesh would be at home on Unique Leader or United Gutteral, though they're not as gore obsessed. They play well, they growl well and they blast well, but all of it is a bit forgetful-as is most middle second tier death metal once the blood stops flying. A few tracks try something different such as the synths and chorus that laces the more atmospheric “At the Stake of Mercy”, the stop start choppiness of the title track or the requisite slower churning moments and surprising solos of “Last Act of Power”. Between that, there’s a lot of growling, blasting, rumbling filler (i.e. “Relentless Hands”, “Delusions of Deity”) that will appease those looking for a quick blast of brutality from a band they may not have heard before, but it will soon wane.
I’ve heard far worse death metal this year, but I’ve also heard far better and Scent of Flesh are just one of those solid, unspectacular middle grounds acts that’s worth a cheap eBay purchase or used bin pickup for a quick satisfying stab of crumbling, blistering, competent death metal. Just don’t go looking for anything to blow your mind or change death metal.
