Reduced to Ashes

A well respected act in the industry, Deeds of Flesh like to craft an alloy of technical/brutal death metal built for clinical precision and high durability performance, emphasizing stamina. The material is generally a concentrated, dense series of developments from end to end, as a constant stream of riff, with even the transitions being shorter time signature segments of single note riffage. Once the guitars start, they're like ants doing work, with nothing approximating a rest.

The production, naturally, favors those guitars heavily but there's a crisp sound overall and the drums are well audible too. The guitarists are particularly accurate with their playing as the pristine guitars right at the front of the mix couldn't allow for the slightest slip and the picking is absolutely immaculate. Ironically, this constitutes something of a potential flaw, as the guitar work may indeed be technical and accurate, but it is simultaneously too clean sonically speaking: asepticized, squeaky clean guitars that live in their risk-free, smooth comfort zone. The relative absence of low end at the back of the record combined with the heads-down writing approach, makes those riffs appear "isolated". During some of the better moments, say on 'Reduced to Ashes' and its catchy main riff, the album escapes that fate, but those moments are an exception to the overarching rule.

There's an undeniable metronomic nature to this music, to the point its obsessively methodical work rate might lack soul. The album is essentially a catalog of similarly paced, busy fret work, with somewhat of a lack of strong identity for most tracks. It's like the guitarists are so focused on execution and attaining perfect playing; nailing every power chord and hitting each exact 16th note on the tremolo picking; this ultimately feels like a definite lack of hindsight is the noticeable takeaway after each track. Tunnel vision, in short. A bad case of it.

As soon as a track ends, the very next thing we're given is more robotic trashcan blast-beats over some reshuffled version of the average tremolo picking heard all over the release. It seriously often sounds like the song-writing is somewhere between composition, and on-the-spot improvisation. Like pure fiddling sessions of endless chromatic patterns with little conviction. There's very little connection between parts that sound interchangeable from song to song, which themselves individually struggle immensely to find any proper identity. The guitars are also (mostly?) palm muted all the way through, which contributes to the feeling of smothering repetition.

Deeds of Flesh… perhaps the apex band of brutal death metal; yes for as much as I love the numerous legendary albums from bands like Cryptopsy and Suffocation, it is Deeds of Flesh that remains atop the brutal death metal throne in my eyes. Sure, their early primitive stuff is a little one dimensional and merely average, and the later stuff is great, albeit leaning more towards technical death metal than brutal death metal… but, in 2003, Deeds of Flesh peaked by combining the primitiveness of the early years with the technique that was soon to come to create one ultimate 46 minute journey of technicality and brutality known as "Reduced to Ashes."

If you've ever wondered what Deicide sounded like if they continued to hammer down on the brutality and virtuous musicianship after "Legion," they would have probably ended up sounding something like this. "Reduced to Ashes" is stupidly heavy, brimming with intricate, evil riffs and boasts a disgusting atmosphere, backed by superb production and song structuring. This isn't your typical caveman br00tal death; Deeds of Flesh managed to craft a record that's extremely technically engaging, yet never loses its edge by being too flashy for its own good. EVERY single riff on this album has a purpose, whether it's to build to a devastating release waiting around the corner, or if it *is* that devastating release. There are no filler moments, no wasted stupid samples (the one to open the album sets the tone for what's to come perfectly) and absolutely no bullshit. You get what you pay for when it comes to this album.

These riffs… "Reduced to Ashes" has more good riffs in one song than most metal bands do throughout an entire album, sometimes even an entire career. There's actually so many good riffs on this album that it's impossible to comprehend them all as they just deliver blows to your skull with quality riff after quality riff, time and time again. There's no incessant pinch harmonics, the ones that are used are utilized perfectly and add so much more definition to the riff, bolding it out like highlighting something with… well, a highlighter. The production is impeccable - I wouldn't change a thing. Everything is mixed well, sounds great, has a fucking sick tone and the drums… oh man, the drums. I could have passionate, rough sex to the sound of that snare popping off any day of the week. Top it off with bellowing growls that may sound typical, but are necessary - they never try to be too flashy and add an extra layer of sinisterness to the overall record.

There's plenty to say about this album, but I like to keep my reviews short, so we'll boil it down to this; if you like metal… listen to this album. It is pouring at the seams with life, energy, and intensity. There's nothing quite like it out there, even if many bands have attempted time and time again to replicate it. Even if you don't like brutal death metal… I can guarantee you'll find plenty to enjoy about this album. Fucking. Sick.

This album took me completely by surprise. Deeds of Flesh are one of those strange [and rare] bands that just keep getting better as they age, and they keep delving deeper and deeper into their own style: solidifying, shoring up breaches, repairing cracks, smoothing cement over rough parts, tuning engine parts, repairing, improving, renewing. Evolving miles away from their first anti-hook style [displayed on the "Gradually Melted" EP and their first album "Trading Pieces"] and slowly, ever so slowly, altering in form, Deeds is now at the enviable position of being able to write songs that are both catchy and extreme [bewilderingly so at times] technical masterpieces. They have worked very, very hard at developing their own style, and it shows. While there are a hundred bands that try to sound like this one, none of them quite match this trio's sheer power and instrumental virtuosity. When it comes to the straight notion of their sound, their aesthetics, their inner core or seed, their essence as a band, none of their clones even come close. Deeds are now one of the institutions of death metal, having carved out their own place in the genre and spawning an entire subgenre on their own - you might as well call it "technical brutal death metal", that name fits as well as any.

I'll admit... when they first started, I wasn't exactly into what they were doing. It was too pure, too cerebral, too [I thought] unfocused, it concentrated too much on the technical side and seemed to scoff at or scorn any "mainstream" notions of songwriting or song craft. Their first few releases, up to and including their second album "Inbreeding the Anthropophagi", are absolutely uncompromising whirlwinds of technical display; dizzying, numbingly complex barrages of riffs, riff fragments, comments on riffs, asides, sallies, thrusts, rhythmic bits and pieces, and a perverse unwillingness or inability to ever write a song that was in any way straightforward or traditional. Deeds of Flesh create a labyrinth with every composition. There are times [especially upon the first few listens] where their work can abuse and isolate based on its sheer demonic unwillingness to allow the listener any kind of "safe" path through the song, any steps or stairways towards meaning, comprehension, or structure. It is colder and more alienating than industrial noise because it takes upon itself the outer appearance of traditional metal only to corrode it from the inside. The forced march of ironic stylistic dissolution and self-dissolving is uneasy and uncomfortable. You hear the guitars, bass, drums, and death vocals, but beyond that you are lost. There is absolutely nothing to hold onto, nothing to grasp and keep track of in your mind in order to determine your position within the song. The riffs come at you so fast and furiously, they are so multifaceted, so complex, that you are rendered dizzy and disoriented almost immediately. Only over time [for me it took a long time] does your memory come to your aid and begin to place an invisible structure over the chaos. There is a structure, be sure of that, it is just very difficult to perceive. Over time, after repeated listens, it begins to assume a definite shape and the songs then assume a "meaning", as is traditional. Is this meaning self-imposed? Of course. And that's the whole point.

While all of this was impressive and I certainly admired it from a conceptual point of view, as a sort of musical-philosophy-made-flesh, a manifestation of compositional principles, the songs themselves were never completely rewarding. They stunned, but they didn't engrave themselves in my head. That was… until Deeds' last album, "Mark of the Legion". All of a sudden this band was technically proficient, in the avant-garde in their genre, and writing good, memorable, extremely violent material. They had matured.

This album begins exactly where the last left off, except that Deeds has put their best foot forward with the first four songs. If this had been an EP, with only these first four songs, it would be one of the best EPs in the history of metal: not only in terms of progressive intent, songwriting ability, etc. but also because of the overwhelming amount of creative energy that is expended/released on those tracks. As it stands it is the best "A Side" in the history of brutal death metal. There are enough riffs, melodic fragments, ideas and transitions in these songs to fill up two albums by other bands. The fluidity, expressiveness, flexibility, range, and power of the rhythm guitars is amazing. All the worlds that they open up, dissect, lay aside, close, twist, turn, create and destroy in front of you stun with their beauty. The ways in which the guitars and drums interact, play against and with each other, and then meld into one repeating fist of insanely high speed blast articulation and phrasing is just sickening. I concentrate on the first four songs because they are the catchiest and because they were the first ones to really hit me when I started listening to this album some time ago in mp3 form. The entire record is unmatched, though. What the later songs lose in terms of melodic cohesiveness and hooks they gain in simple intensity. The tradeoff is fair.

All of this is mainly disturbing, to me, because Deeds have evolved this catchy, melodic [in their own pattern], memorable style out of something that used to be almost pure musical chaos. Even at this point novices, I think, will be overwhelmed. The songs are still extremely technical, rigorously complex [they get "worse" in this way as the album progresses, until we get to the last song "The Endurance", which is a tour-de-force of technical composition lasting almost twelve minutes long], and so utterly, devastatingly vicious that they feel like personal attacks.

The production matches the material. As other reviewers have said, it takes the recording values of the last album and cleans them up a little, improving the band's sound in the same way that their style has evolved: towards clarity, a distinction of structure and compositional parts. While the bass is mostly drowned out [it still peeks through at points] you can feel it backing the rhythms and some of the simpler melodic figures. The drums are crystal clear, especially the snare, which is hit over the course of this album about 1.5 million times. The guitar sound is perfect. Not overwashed in distortion, not swallowed up by low tones, and equally full and dynamic whether being sent through rapid picking or frenzied palm muting. Some might find it a little dry, but I think it's better that way rather than swallowed in clouds of sewer overdrive. This album should set the production standard for all technical brutal death albums to follow.

What else can I say about this thing? If you are a Deeds fan you have it already. If you have heard of this band and their reputation but have stayed away until now, you should definitely give this rabid beast a spin or two. It is bound to make an impression, of that I am sure. It is quickly becoming one of my favorite death metal albums.

UA

Erebus Magazine
http://erebuszine.blogspot.com

“Reduced to Ashes” by Deeds of Flesh marks the fifth full length album by this pioneering brutal death metal band from California. Having heard their first three albums and the one after this one (“Crown of Souls”) I would call “Reduced to Ashes” my favorite Deeds album, and possibly even my favorite brutal death metal release. In general, I would describe it as having “catchier” and more memorable riffs and somewhat cleaner production found in “Crown of Souls” but still preserving the chaotic feel of the earlier albums. What I mean by this is the band still has the wild time changes and numerous riffs per song, but they seem to stick to an individual idea longer so the song structure is more memorable and makes a little more sense to the listener.

The title track and album opener exemplify this sentiment. It starts with a short (and admittedly somewhat cliche, I believe it's from The Omen) sample and takes off into a triple meter riff filled tremolo picking and blast beats overlaid with low, guttural, and surprisingly intelligible vocals. Like every song on this album, the track switches time signature and riffs often, but revisits many of these sections to tie individual tracks together.

The drumming by Mike Hamilton on this album is incredible. He are very dynamic, tight, and the drums are about as cleanly produced as you can allow for a brutal death metal recording (though some listeners may find the snare drum a bit tinny sounding, which could be a problem due to the drawn out blast beat sections.) Guitar on this album is also amazing. Riffage is memorable and parts of some of these songs have just a touch of a melodic feel to them, giving some variation and a more “epic” feel to the whole album. Bass is..... well is must be there as only three people are credited with recording this album and the music sounds very full and rounded. While difficult to hear during the majority of the album, there are some short, stand alone bass parts that are very good and don't seem to stand out as awkwardly as bass interludes in some other death metal. Vocals are classic Deeds of Flesh quality; mid growl and low growl, how can you go wrong?! The low vocals are definitely predominant over the middle range, but they sound absolutely sick when harmonized.

As awesome as the individual instrumentation is on “Reduced to Ashes,” my favorite feature of the album (and the band as a whole) is the way the instruments come together. With amazingly technical music like this, it is a marvel to listen to how well the drums lock in with bass and guitar through the twisting changing riffs and time signatures these guys come up with. The whole “overlay” of the instruments creates the brutal atmosphere Deeds of Flesh is all about.

The only thing that keeps me from giving this album 100% is the fact that I find myself frequently listening to the beginning and end of this album, as the middle tracks seem to meld together somewhat. Standout tracks are “Reduced to Ashes,” “Infested Beneath the Earth,” “Disinterred Archaic Heap,” and the 12 minute album closer, “The Endurance.”

“…and a comet rips the sky
and you and I must die.
From the eternal sea he rises
creating armies on either shore
turning man against his brother
‘till man exists no more.”

So says the loony priest from The Omen in a sound sample at the start of this album. A pleasant sentiment, but perhaps a little too optimistic for the music that is to follow.

Deeds of Flesh have made habit of making albums that sound good on first listen, great after five or ten listens and brilliant after a few dozen more, and their newest to date is no exception.

That is for the initiated, of course. For the uninitiated, it may take a fair amount of diligent study to make heads of tails of this band’s music, as they show no mercy to the weak and stupid in their complicated song structures: no verse-chorus arrangements, simple melodies or overt dynamic variations are offered as concessions to the novice. They have chained you up, put a bag over your head and thrown you into a sea of blasting death metal brutality, trusting you to find your way out.

Or not…

But this is not completely inaccessible music after all, it turns out. If anything, this is an easier listen than the couple of albums that preceded it at least, without being compromised in the slightest. Deeds of Flesh have not succumbed to the tone deafness that afflicts much death metal – there are no disguised hip hop grooves, no detached art school smartass attitude towards songwriting. Amidst the raging sea, there lurk a couple of very expressive and hummable riffs and quasi-melodies to define each individual song (my favorite: 1:27 in “Human Trophies”) – the rest of the song is dedicated to tearing those moments of relative accessibility to shreds, rapidly cross-cutting between ideas as fast as the listener can keep up.

This is probably my favorite Deeds of Flesh album at the moment… I don’t think I could offer a compelling argument as to why, exactly; not much has changed over the last couple of albums but there does appear to be some refinement… it’s just generally better and more memorable, in my opinion, and so far has held up well over repeat listens. If you haven’t heard this band, Reduced to Ashes is probably as good a place to start as any.

Deeds of Flesh. You either love them or hate them. Me, personally, am a huge fan of all their work, and have been since 1993's Gradually Melted. And with the return of Suffocation to "reclaim the throne of brutal death metal," I decided to give this bad motherfucker a spin or two again. This is their latest and best offering. You basically know what to expect from Deeds of Flesh: bone crunching brutality, speed, and technicality. Not to say that they don't slow it down, just take the amazing stop/start breakdown riff at the end of the song "Human Trophies" for example. Infested Beneath The Earth has to be one of my favorite tracks on the album, which casts an eerie atmosphere (I'm wondering if the song was inspired by that mortician that ran the crematorium and got arrested for not burning the bodies, instead burying them or stashing them around the location of the building), as well as Dissintered Archaic Heap. The drumming on this album can be best described in 2 words: Holy Fuck. I could go on and on about this album forever, but I won't, seeing how if you wanted to hear (or read) it all, you can just scroll down to the other reviews below and see what I'm tryin to say here.

So, will Suffocation take back the throne that was once theirs?? Not as long as Deeds of Flesh are around, spewing forth venomous offerings such as this, and, who are working on a new full-length as we speak. With all the touring they've done for this album, and the tightness they've achieved, I believe that we are in for something truly special on the next album.

Deeds of Flesh are unstoppable when it comes down to releasing brilliant material. They have truly mastered a style of their own Death Metal and all this is embellished in their latest release “Reduced to Ashes”. Selling 6,500 albums in its first week of release is proof enough of what this band has achieved and has yet to achieve with its music.The first thing I noticed as I listened to the album is that Deeds of Flesh have changed and yet not changed. They are still pioneers of that awesome, fast-paced and ultra-technical brutal Death Metal which they never fail to pen down and play. Yet they seem to have matured much within their music writing and lyrical capabilities. “Reduced to Ashes” delves deep into the harsh reality that has existed and still exists within the earth today as one notices from its lyrical content.

The album starts with an interesting intro and thus ends with one too. The whole eight songs offer a different feel to the listener. Such riffs which I cant stop listening to are ones from the tracks “Infested Beneath The Earth”, the great and effective pauses at the end of “Human Trophies” and many riffs from the 11:48 minute (yes its that long!) song “The Endurance”.Sound quality in this album is bloody great and I need add no further comment. Toshihiro Egawa, the mighty Sho, has also taken part in the release of this album by designing and giving life to its front cover, which unfolds to four times its size and is like an awesome poster.Well, I really don’t regret buying this album at all and I seriously suggest you do the same or else get a pair of balls!