(c) Allen Falcon
Lasting for over a decade now Skeletal Remains raises the flag of rough, technically adept death metal sounds with a brutal underpinning. Since switching to Century Media, the Californian quartet has gone even higher; their last two records even made it into the German album charts. They want to build on this success with the album, which was co-produced, mixed and mastered by scene icon Dan Swanö „Fragments Of The Ageless“ connect.
Science fiction, history, folklore and personal matters come together in these 43 minutes, and “To Conquer The Devout” can be understood as a mission statement, so to speak. What initially sounds like a small stumble in the ponderous intro quickly takes on a brutal momentum of its own. Skeletal Remains love high tempo and make this clear with increasing enthusiasm. A usual guttural Chris Monroy plays the hellish tamer, extends the imaginary middle finger and brings together the events of the worlds and ages. In the second half of the song, the US quartet hints at the most minimal melodic accents before an angry, classic-sounding solo brings the final point.
In the epic “Unmerciful”, Skeletal Remains outdo themselves. In fact, they manage to maintain the tension very confidently for more than seven minutes, constantly shedding their skin and performing in a pounding mid-tempo. Brutal stop-and-go passages, cumbersome concrete blocks and seemingly spontaneous sprints with technical demands as the foundation know how to shine. You can get over the fact that the following “…Evocation (The Rebirth)” doesn’t quite keep up as an extended instrumental, although the short, clear passages are certainly interesting. Then prefer the next steam hammer, like the incredibly powerful, destructive “Cybernetic Harvest”, which you can’t get out of your head.
Sovereign, unassailable anger, that is and remains the quartet’s great art. Although “Fragments Of The Ageless” always dares to break out one way or another, Skeletal Remains almost always stay on course for the breakwater, for maximum destruction and broken, scrappy steam. The US band’s latest work also serves up the most brutal heaviness, technically incredibly strong and also powerfully produced. Where Skeletal Remains lay, grass no longer grows – another magnificent album in the particularly raw, rugged category.
Rating: 8/10
Available from: March 8, 2024
Available via: Century Media (Sony Music)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SkeletalRemainsDeathMetal
Category: Magazin, Reviews