CoC : Flesh Made Sin - Masterwork in Blood : Review

Flesh Made Sin - _Masterwork in Blood_
(Thrashing Hell Records, 2002)
by: Quentin Kalis (5 out of 10)

Flesh Made Sin's focus is the reproduction of '80s thrash metal with the unstated intention of emulating thrash luminaries such as Dark Angel and Possessed to the furthest extent that is humanly possible. As can be expected of an album dedicated to the exhumation of past trends, modern sensibilities have not had much of an impact on this CD, Do not misunderstand me; there is nothing intrinsically wrong in a contemporary band mimicking a sound or style of old, and _MiB_ is far from being the worst thrash record in existence. But when a band chooses to replicate a classic sound, especially one which has already been done to death, then something new and fresh should be added; the musical boundaries imposed by that sound should be pushed and extended, however slight. And this is the major problem with this CD: Flesh Made Sin do not move beyond the safe confines of the nearly 20 year old thrash sound. The CD is not entirely bad -- there are some catchy sections, the expected overblown and extended solos enhance rather then distract from the song, and the musicians are hardly marginally talented. But nothing is offered here that even a casual thrash fan would not have heard numerous times before. Recommended for diehard thrash fans only.

(article published 16/3/2003)