CoC : Defleshed - Reclaim the Beat : Review

Defleshed - _Reclaim the Beat_
(Regain Records, 2005)
by: Jackie Smit (7.5 out of 10)

Back in 1994, around the time of their debut EP _Ma Belle Scalpelle_, Defleshed were a figure of fun to me. Having discovered them per chance on a Nuclear Blast sampler, I couldn't help but laugh at the insipid racket they were attempting to palm off; their vapid attempts at sounding "trve" about as convincing as Glen Benton's allegiance to the hooved one. So, understandably, I feared the worst when discovering this disc in my mailbox, unsure as to whether I'd be able to force myself to sit through another din of horrifically produced pretend-death. But after a good few spins, I have to admit that I stand corrected. Very much so, in fact. Perhaps the change of record label helped kick the band into gear, but the Defleshed of 2005 is a very different beast indeed. Gone is the overly trebly sound and the annoying vocal antics; replaced instead by an onslaught of bona fide heavy-handed brutality, the likes of which is put to practice perfectly on "Grind & Rewind", "Ignorance to Bliss" and "Aggroculture". And while it's certainly not without its faults -- the arid stench of monotony does rear its head toward the album's conclusion -- on a whole this marked evolution in the band's approach to songwriting has me, as I'm sure it will many others, eating my derisive words.

Contact: http://www.defleshed.com

(article published 8/3/2005)

ALBUMS
1/15/2000	M Noll	8	Defleshed - Fast Forward
3/10/1998	D Schinzel	6	Defleshed - Under the Blade

GIGS
1/15/2000	M Noll	Cannibal Corpse / Marduk / Angelcorpse / Aeternus / Defleshed	Two Corpses, One God and No Flesh