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Creeping Flesh > Into the Meat Grinder > Reviews
Creeping Flesh - Into the Meat Grinder

Tank Corps Unleashed - 75%

Nattskog7, September 18th, 2022
Written based on this version: 2019, CD, Growls from the Underground

Following two EPs, a demo and a compilation, Creeping Flesh finally have a full length offering of their Swedish death metal craftsmanship.

Bellowed vocals set things off before a savage barrage of guitar grooves and pounding drums deliver a hasty blow of crawling death metal ferocity. The cutting edge of Swedish death metal is pummelled out effortlessly as this album gets off to a fantastic start. We are given some melodic touches but overall this album is far more rhythm focused with monolithic deliverance of pounding instrumentals and brutal growls that will certainly get you banging your head. There are some gorgeously doomy atmospherics present while not detracting from the thunderous roar of tremolo riffs for too long.

Certainly some masterful songwriting is in place and a crushing production to match. As a big fan of slower death metal, this really hits the spot with plenty of really well executed soundscapes and a fierce performance from the whole band, that alongside the marvellous riffs, drum fills and guttural vocals makes for a captivating experience from start to end that never runs short of ideas to keep the ball rolling through fresh and fleshy assaults. Aside from a fairly typical approach to death metal, which is totally fine, why fix what isn’t broken and all, this is a blistering first effort that leaves room for improvement in terms of a less standard approach, but they successfully deliver a putrid concoction of devastatingly heavy extremity with impeccable skills.

It is always exciting when the fuzzy buzzsaw sound of a HM-2 creeps into the music, which the band use quite subtly (if that is possible for such a unique pedal) without it staying too long, just to stamp it with the Swedish mark which I thought was a really cool touch, showing attention to detail. Amidst an endless stream of death metal that is only growing, this may not capture your attention or stand out from the crowd, but it is certainly worth giving a listen to this slab of chugging gruesomeness.

Written for www.nattskog.wordpress.com

Creeping Flesh - Into the Meat Grinder - 95%

Edmund Sackbauer, October 1st, 2019
Written based on this version: 2019, CD, Growls from the Underground

Although hailing from Gothenburg this pretty newish death metal commando has more in common with their peers from Stockholm. Having seen that they name Bolt Thrower and Asphyx as influences I needed to check out “Into the Meat Grinder” which is their full length debut following several EPs. With help from Jonny Pettersson (mastermind of some of my favorite death metal acts like Wombbath or Gods Forsaken) doing the mastering and guest vocals my hopes have been pretty high. Based on all that information it was pretty obvious what to expect and I am happy to report that this record is not only not a disappointment but a smashing statement by a highly talented band laying waste to the battlefield of the metal world.

The guitar playing and the classic buzz-sawing guitar tone mainly remind of traditional death metal akin to some famous Swedish bands but some of the chord progressions and main themes also have a slight US vibe to them. Beside the ones mentioned above also names like Obituary or Feral come to mind but Creeping Flesh are not just copy cats. You will find the typical stoic chords as well as choppy riffs and sections where the rhythm and the tempo varies within a very short timeframe. It speaks for the songwriting skills of the band that this kind of elements never feel overly chaotic but make sense looking at the bigger picture of the songs and the whole album. The rhythms are always groovy and even in the more sophisticated sections the patterns seem well structured and each break is there for a reason. In the end the most emphasis has been put on creating easily enjoyable and groovy songs.

The interaction between the rhythm guitar churning out the trademark chords and the lead guitar creates a fantastic and captivating atmosphere. There is always something going on in the background leading to each song having its own very special character. Beside the spectacular and often catchy guitar work by the two guitarists William Persson Öberg and Sofus Stille also the rhythm section has to be mentioned. The drumming is precise like an AK-47 following the main patterns of each song and highlighting several sections where an extra portion of intensity is needed. Most of the time it is kept pretty laid-back underlining the stoic and groovy nature of the music.

One aspect that can make or break an old school death metal band is the singer. I am glad to report that Robert is a great talent. His tone is reminding of Dave Hunt or Ola Lindgren and his delivery is top notch. Although he is roaring like an ancient beast each word can be perfectly understood. Unfortunately this is not always the case these days with actual releases. The lyrics follow in the martial tradition of other death metal tanks like Bolt Thrower and Hail of Bullets and while I am in no way a fan of war and terror those cruel stories about destruction just perfectly fit the mood of the instrumentation.

The production is nearly flawless. The guitars are crunchy and have enough filthiness to satisfy each fan of old-school metal music. The drums are punchy without sounding too sterile and the overall mix is very transparent even making the great bass playing audible. “Into the Meat Grinder” for sure is an album that should be a great find for each fan of crusty old-school death metal done the Swedish way. Rounded off by a very traditional cover artwork this record is definitely going to make my year-end list 2019.