And the time has come for the sixth full-length, for i Cutterred Flesh. “Love at First Bite”, which follows “Sharing Is Caring” three years later. The confirmation, if there were ever any need, of a formation with an absolutely professional approach to the issue, aware of its own means, which has now developed a sound all of its own.
A sound that appears to be constantly evolving, in its detachment from the most orthodox dictates of death metal, with the aim of exploring new frontiers of the metal of death itself. Because, even though it is punctured by injections of deathcore (also), in the end there is always a very strong correspondence to death philosophy.
Even the content of the lyrics, apparently aimed at the usual gore and slaughter, seems to have had a reflection of originality involving, together with the trite and hackneyed putrescent phrases, elements of cosmic derivation that are well suited to the well-known thematics narrating annihilations and illnesses.
The musical attack is at the highest levels, as demonstrated by the bone-breaking rhythm of the opener ‘Xenomorphic Annihilation: Earth Ravaged’ (nomen omen…), enlivened by monstrous blast-beats for an absolutely devastating rhythm. But it is precisely in this song that, alongside the demolishing fury, together with conspicuous ambient insertions during the chorus, melodic segments coexist in which the tension drops completely to allow the assimilation of acoustically soft and delicate moments.
The tendency towards bestial musical aggression is in any case also reiterated by the following ‘Code of Zuurith’perfect opportunity for use and consumption Jiri Krs to show his impeccable interpretation of the vocal lines addressed both with a beastly, deep growling; both with harsh vocals from rough, bloody uvula.
At this point it seems clear that our band loves to combine the rarefaction of purely atmospheric situations with the compression of very powerful but also very visionary music. As if the energy resulting from the enormous push of the rhythm section was the solution to reach alien, uninhabited environments, located on hypothetical lifeless, dusty or ice-covered planets. Where non-life exists.
Not even the melody is missing (‘Repeated Intersexual Misunderstanding’), making the mood of the record complicated to decipher. The non-linearity of the powerful pace of the music means that many passages are needed, under the head/laser, to understand, at least in part, the message launched by the Czech combo. A message full of phrases to describe a project dedicated to unpredictability, even if linked to death metal. Death metal which at this point we can dare to define progressivegiven his tendency to continually digress from the beaten path of thousands of other act practitioners death and that’s it.
Thus, the desire to go out, to escape from the usual cliche leads the LP to be a container of objects that are difficult to interpret, to discern, to fully understand. A rather rare circumstance out there, as it increases the longevity of the LP itself. Which, once explored in its various components, almost takes on the character of an attractive vortex towards the heart of the work as a whole, truly varied like a colourful, ever-changing kaleidoscope.
The set of songs offers no drops in tension or filling fillers: everything is designed to cram as many notes as possible into the almost forty minutes of duration of the platter. Which, as mentioned, does not cause boredom in the most absolute way but, on the contrary, the curiosity – at least the first time – of not being aware of what will happen when turning the corner. The songwriting is square, precise, compact, the result of a team that knows what it’s doing, very well prepared both in the performance of the songs and in the expression of musical digressions of a high quality level (‘Sarkam’s Wrath Unleashed’).
Furious accelerations (‘Amanda’), suffocating slowdowns, unexpected digressions supported by electronics, dark ambient features, ferocious attacks on the jugular, delicate melodic caresses. In short, there’s a bit of everything – of course always in a death key – in “Sharing Is Caring”. Cut Flesh. The name shouldn’t be misleading. This is not ordinary bbrutal death metal but refined progressive death metal. And that says it all.
Daniele “dani66” D’Adamo
