“Reduced to Ashes” by Deeds of Flesh marks the fifth full length album by this pioneering brutal death metal band fwrite songs that are both catchy and extreme [bewilderingly so at times] technical masterpieces. They have worked very, very hard at developing their own style, and it shows. While there are a hundred bands that try to sound like this one, none of them quite match this trio's sheer power and instrumental virtuosity. When it comes to the straight notion of their sound, their aesthetics, their inner core or seed, their essence as a band, none of their clones even come close. Deeds are now one of the institutions of death metal, having carved out their own place in the genre and spawning an entire subgenre on their own - you might as well call it "technical brutal death metal", that name fits as well as any. [1]
The production matches the material. As other reviewers have said, it takes the recording values of the last album and cleans them up a little, improving the band's sound in the same way that their style has evolved: towards clarity, a distinction of structure and compositional parts. While the bass is mostly drowned out [it still peeks through at points] you can feel it backing the rhythms and some of the simpler melodic figures. The drums are crystal clear, especially the snare, which is hit over the course of this album about 1.5 million times. The guitar sound is perfect. Not overwashed in distortion, not swallowed up by low tones, and equally full and dynamic whether being sent through rapid picking or frenzied palm muting. Some might find it a little dry, but I think it's better that way rather than swallowed in clouds of sewer overdrive. This album should set the production standard for all technical brutal death albums to follow. [2]
As awesome as the individual instrumentation is on “Reduced to Ashes,” my favorite feature of the album (and the band as a whole) is the way the instruments come together. With amazingly technical music like this, it is a marvel to listen to how well the drums lock in with bass and guitar through the twisting changing riffs and time signatures these guys come up with. The whole “overlay” of the instruments creates the brutal atmosphere Deeds of Flesh is all about. [1]
The only thing that keeps me from giving this album 100% is the fact that I find myself frequently listening to the beginning and end of this album, as the middle tracks seem to meld together somewhat. Standout tracks are “Reduced to Ashes,” “Infested Beneath the Earth,” “Disinterred Archaic Heap,” and the 12 minute album closer, “The Endurance.” [1]
Tracks
- Reduced to Ashes
- Infested Beneath the Earth
- Avowed Depraved
- Human Trophies
- Banished
- Disinterred Archaic Heap
- The Endurance
If you like it, please buy it on their official website/merchandise.
Deeds of Flesh - Reduced to Ashes (2003)
Source [1] [2]
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