Review by Carl on December 23, 2020.

I don't know what the deal is in Indonesia, but there's a shitload of head-caving brutality spewing forth out of the country. Absolute Defiance in the past and, more recently, Cadavoracity and Perverted Dexterity come to mind, but there's a whole lot more than those mentioned in the tidal wave of BDM rushing over the scene right now. Decaying Flesh are among them, and their Bloodshed Fatalities full length is no laughing matter, even if it had me joyously going "he, he, he" at various times.

The utterly remorseless brutal death metal is totally worthy of the moniker, I'll tell you that. This is one hell of a mean brutal death metal grenade! The blasting percussion (courtesy of Roland, but don't let that deter you) hammers home the point that this is not for the faint at heart. In style they play in the same neighborhood as the acts mentioned before, but there are subtle (weird choice of words here, perhaps) influences of bands like Brodequin and Mortician to be heard as well. I fully realize that that can be said about most of the bands in this specific style, but Decaying Flesh do it with style and gusto, delivering an album that lands like a sledgehammer on the throat. The music is down tuned and heavy, and the vocals deliver exactly the guttural roars you'd expect from an outfit like this. I really appreciate the fact that the vocalist sounds very similar to the late Joe Ptacek from Broken Hope, employing a similar beastly delivery. Even if this is far from original (I think I can name about 10 other bands that sound like this without hesitation), I can certainly appreciate the utter savagery on offer here. Another plus is the fact that this cd sounds great and that the band relies more on blasting aggression than it does on slamming mid-paced sections, making this album a veritable BDM beast!

If I have to list off some of it's lesser qualities, it's only minimal gripes like the programmed drums that sound a tad artificial at times (which is par for the course with a drum machine) and also that the intermezzo 'Troops of Bangkalan' is kinda annoying. Some would add the lack of originality to this list, but I really don't care about something like that. I'd rather have a pummeling battering-ram of an album that sounds familiar (like this one!) than something boring and contrived just for the sake of being original.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Wiley on March 10, 2010.

Progessively arched talent blending a select brew of the greats of their genre into one heaving musical beast. What lurks in this pot is nothing short of Vanilla Coke in a can - that being a flavor we all knew and enjoyed when originally presented, but someone decided to repackage it, resell the novelty to us in a slightly more comercial way (assuming most of you remember this presentation and remember good old syrup flavor mixed with an already thick syrup from the tap... but that's besides the point).Nevermore stranded on a stranded vessel with Meshuggah and Orphaned Land with the cats from Atheist moderating the whole mess. And a truly wonderful mess it is....

Dynahead rip through hard edged rhythms with multiple time signatures, enough seperation of percussive chugging, weighty melodic riffs, and acoustic interludes to provide a refreshingly tasteful batch of songs. The lead melodies are wonderfully woven into the fabric of each piece. The drums are very tight and acoustically charged - not suffering the "too much trigger" restraint of most prog production. Every nuance and groove accent can be deciphered and felt smoothly. The bassist makes a beautiful low end appearance as well locking in the sweet space between drums and guitars with tasteful movements and complimenting riffwork. Then...there's the vocals... Warrel Dane derivative would be a kind way of describing it as 80% of the time it's as if he were hired to session for them, the other 20% is meandering somewhere between Orphaned Land's vocal harmonies, and Meshuggah-esque growling. Mind you, if you were going to rip vocal styles from any three bands for a Progressive Metal project - these aren't bad choices. Once past this glaring detail, this CD is a beautiful creation.

It could be argued allowing your vocallist to record your CD for you is a questionable endeavor.Antigen is maybe a rarity where this worked out, but one could also argue James Murphy's (Death,Cancer,Testament, Disincarnate, etc) mastering job probably played into this greatly as well (just accept that everything the guy works on is quality shit). The totality of the mix is so clear and well
brought together; inviting is a good word. Warm, bright, full, punchy, and sustainingly consistent - an accomplishment of some serious detail oriented slaving.

The packaging on the promo isnt much to speak of - digital renderings of a tree amongst flowers holding upon it's branches worm ridden apples. Why this when the most wonderful version of this is the grand cathedral on the back overgrown with the same flowers and several of these same trees outside the gaping windows??? One can probably assume there is some heartfelt explanation behind the concept dealing with edgy intellectual ideas and progressive concepts better worth not trying to interpret. Still wondering about how that fits in with the bandmate wearing a shirt confessing that "any girl is pretty after five beers"???...

A wonderful Prog Metal album for fans there of, and newcomers alike. Approach with caution and awareness that the rendering might be lost in an almost Lego like construction of what has become expected from said "Progressive" Metal, respectively.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship:8.0
Atmosphere:7.9
Production: 8.9
Originality: 6.0
Overall: 7.0

Rating: 7.6 out of 10