Deeds of Flesh - Path Of The Weakening (1999)

There's one band you can really count on in the short lived genre of brutal death metal who will never let you down. Erik and co have been churning out some really quality technical brutal death metal ever since their emergence. I enjoyed almost everything they put out since Gradually Melted. But this time something's lacking. I don't know but the band I've never grown tired of listening to is not doing much for me this time. Few bands are able to write the same album over and over and still have fans flocking to buy new material the moment it's released. In recent years Deeds of Flesh has become one of those bands. Their first three efforts Gradually Melted, Trading Pieces and Inbreeding The Anthropophagi were all unique and you could tell the band was progressing and growing as musicians and songwriters. Since that time, however, the band has fallen into the trap of writing the same album year after year, starting with 1999's Path of The Weakening. Reduced to Ashes, Crown of Souls and Path of The Weakening have very little to distinguish from each other. Deeds of Flesh have become the technical brutal death metal version of Bolt Thrower and to be honest, I'm okay with that. Despite of the fact they’ve been rehashing the same material somehow they always managed to pull off some of the finest tunes. 

Drummer Joey Heatley is back in the group replacing Brad yet there’s very little change in the heavily triggered drum sound of the band. Even with all of the triggering involved, the drumming is still impressive and perfectly balanced with the rest of the instruments. The addition of a new rhythm guitarist Jimmy Tkacz of Vile adds reinforcement to the brutal trademark sound the band is known for. The band has cut down on the technicality displayed on their previous release, and put more emphasis on writing music that's far more catchy. Vicious dual vocal assault, with shrieking highs and guttural lows, blazing triggered-to-fuck drumming, tight solid riffing excellent guitar work that is rigid, complex, and most importantly brutal without becoming stale and vapid is what Path of The Weakening is all about. The songs are well thought out, as the sections of groove are interplayed nicely within all of the nasty grind. The riffs are not stale which I kind of expected them to be, especially considering the style that this band plays. It is hard to explain why this is appealing and other bands who attempt this just plain suck ass. Breakdowns are entered into songs skillfully and when they come, an avalanche of indescribable sickness easily snaps the spine. Despite the general misuse of the word, the music of Deeds of Flesh does have a certain "groove" to it. The production is a little messy but that shouldn’t be a problem for anyone since all the instruments sound crystal clear. 

Path of The Weakening is not going to redefine the brutal death metal genre; they don’t offer anything new or groundbreaking, but what they do provide is a consistently high-quality effort. If you’re into brutal technical death metal, this shit will make you lose your shit. Great release definitely worthy of all death metal fans’ attention!

Tracks

1. Indigenous to the Appalling (Moutinuus Human)
2. Lustmord
3. Path of the Weakening
4. Summarily Killed
5. Sound of Loud Reigns
6. Execute the Anthropophagi
7. I Die on My Own Terms
8. Sense of the Diabolic
9. A Violent God

If you like it, please buy it on their official website/merchandise.
Deeds of Flesh - Path of the Weakening (1999)

This review published by Devourgasm138 on Metallum

Source: Metallum