Path of the Weakening

I've given this album multiple listens, now—probably 8 or 9. It's a great album, but does feel like it's lacking something. Let's dig in and find out what's going on here.

This album picks up where Inbreeding the Anthropophagi left off; it's fast, brutal, and savagely violent. The production on this one is quite good; I especially appreciate that the drums aren't heavily triggered, so the kick drum is satisfying and punchy. The guitars come in razor sharp, as usual for DoF, and the bass is there, somewhat audible. It's not super high in the mix, but it is there.

The music on this album is typical DoF fare; lightning-fast, constant tempo changes, and technical riffing with a fuck ton of variation in the riffs. It's actually quite enjoyable. Something they've done on this album that's interesting is they take several moments here and there where they slow it down a bit, adding another element to the music. These parts are all great and do not feel out of place among the relentless blasting on offer.

The vocals are very good, but to be perfectly honest, I felt they were better on the previous two releases. They are still deep as fuck and the patterns fit the music very well. The high-pitched somewhat raspy vocals are here in spades, giving a bit of variation to the vocals. I would say overall it's a very good vocal performance.

The guitars on this album are very interesting. It's quite good to hear how their guitar playing has evolved over the first three albums. In this case, the guitars are a mixture of fast tremelo riffs, frequent changing between time and tempo, and there's an element they haven't had before—they do some interesting things with string bending on several tracks. You'll know what I mean when you hear it, but it works very well (see: Sense of the Diabolic). There are parts where they sort of slow it down to give you a breather and these parts are just as good as the rest of the album. What I mean here is, the album does have some bits where it slows down, but the album never loses steam. it's just as invigorating and energetic as the faster, more chaotic bits. It all comes together quite nicely.

The drumming on this album is very good as well. It's incredibly precise. The kit is tuned very well so the drums all have a good, punchy sound about them. Tons of blasts that sound like they woukd leave a lesser drummer's arms sore and mind bewildered. The double bass is non-stop, relentless, and extremely percussive thanks to the minimal triggering on this release. Overall, it's a good drum performance, but it's not mind-blowing,.

This is an album I really, really enjoy. The reason I've awarded it an 88 instead of a 90 or better is simply because something is missing, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is. You don't get quite so lost in the chaotic riffing on this one, I suppose. It's slightly more straightforward than that. Even so, it's an excellent effort and absolutely one worth checking out. 88%.

There's one band you can really count on in the short lived genre of brutal death metal who will never let you down. Erik and co have been churning out some really quality technical brutal death metal ever since their emergence. I enjoyed almost everything they put out since Gradually Melted. But this time something's lacking. I don't know but the band I've never grown tired of listening to is not doing much for me this time. Few bands are able to write the same album over and over and still have fans flocking to buy new material the moment it's released. In recent years Deeds of Flesh has become one of those bands. Their first three efforts Gradually Melted, Trading Pieces and Inbreeding The Anthropophagi were all unique and you could tell the band was progressing and growing as musicians and songwriters. Since that time, however, the band has fallen into the trap of writing the same album year after year, starting with 1999's Path of The Weakening. Reduced to Ashes, Crown of Souls and Path of The Weakening have very little to distinguish from each other. Deeds of Flesh have become the technical brutal death metal version of Bolt Thrower and to be honest, I'm okay with that. Despite of the fact they’ve been rehashing the same material somehow they always managed to pull off some of the finest tunes.

Drummer Joey Heatley is back in the group replacing Brad yet there’s very little change in the heavily triggered drum sound of the band. Even with all of the triggering involved, the drumming is still impressive and perfectly balanced with the rest of the instruments. The addition of a new rhythm guitarist Jimmy Tkacz of Vile adds reinforcement to the brutal trademark sound the band is known for. The band has cut down on the technicality displayed on their previous release, and put more emphasis on writing music that's far more catchy. Vicious dual vocal assault, with shrieking highs and guttural lows, blazing triggered-to-fuck drumming, tight solid riffing excellent guitar work that is rigid, complex, and most importantly brutal without becoming stale and vapid is what Path of The Weakening is all about. The songs are well thought out, as the sections of groove are interplayed nicely within all of the nasty grind. The riffs are not stale which I kind of expected them to be, especially considering the style that this band plays. It is hard to explain why this is appealing and other bands who attempt this just plain suck ass. Breakdowns are entered into songs skillfully and when they come, an avalanche of indescribable sickness easily snaps the spine. Despite the general misuse of the word, the music of Deeds of Flesh does have a certain "groove" to it. The production is a little messy but that shouldn’t be a problem for anyone since all the instruments sound crystal clear.

Path of The Weakening is not going to redefine the brutal death metal genre; they don’t offer anything new or groundbreaking, but what they do provide is a consistently high-quality effort. If you’re into brutal technical death metal, this shit will make you lose your shit. Great release definitely worthy of all death metal fans’ attention!