CoC : Fleshitized - Here Among Thorns : Review

Fleshitized - _Here Among Thorns_
(Mighty Music, 2001)
by: David Rocher (6 out of 10)

This American brutal death metal three-piece is a band whose case seems to be rather recurrent in today's metal scene. Fleshitized studied hard at Ye Olde College of Death Metal, fared decently in Morbid Angel, proved to be above well above-average in Cannibal Corpse, graduated with honours in Malevolent Creation and Suffocation, but fell short of success on their "Compelling Songwriting and Catchy Riffage" test. Don't get me wrong: Fleshitized aren't bad; they're unpretentious, technically proficient and extremely efficient, but even after many a listen, the material on _Here Among Thorns_ just fails to bury enough rusty hooks in my flesh for me to want to spin it over and over again. The closing track, a decent cover of Morbid Angel's "Rapture", is very revealing as to what is wrong -- or maybe simply perfectible -- about Fleshitized on _Here Among Thorns_; the track is played flawlessly, and even the insane intricacies of Azagthoth's trademark leads are decently rendered. However, Fleshitized have missed out on one important point: there's a lot more to Morbid Angel's death metal than just all-out aggression -- namely that sombre, mean, dissonant twist, which is precisely what I believe Fleshitized actually fail to display on this second album. Graced with a nice, powerful sound courtesy of Danish fame Jacob Hansen, _Here Among Thorns_ will be a definite turn-on for intense death metal fans who are sooner seduced by a maelstrom of blasting aggressiveness than by the actual atmosphere of their music.

(article published 19/10/2001)