Death... the High Cost of Living

Oh christ, what a benighted fucking band Defleshed ended up being. They did their particular brand of hyperaggressive death/thrash for a ton of years and received basically no recognition, and now you're more likely to find their music in a Crash wholesale lot on Ebay than you are in someone's actual collection. This really sucks because apart from their total inability to give an album a cool name (this one being the only exception, I think) they made some really fantastic music in their time. Contrary to the opinions of a lot of others, I think this live EP (I guess) really shows off Defleshed at just about their best: raw, immediate, and savage, without glossy studio production or overdubbing. Is it a perfect representation of the songs? Certainly not- it is, however, a pretty perfect representation of the band itself.

Covering tracks from the band's first two full-lengths, the music on "Death... The High Cost of Living" is given an extra raw and vicious treatment courtesy of the production, which is somewhere between soundboard and bootleg. It's hazy and very live but still rather representative- it's not as though you can't hear everything pretty clearly. And what's being played is surprisingly excellent. Contrary to the typical death/thrash style you've heard so many times before, which sounds like "Scream Bloody Gore" on speed, Defleshed's brand is a much more aggressive and brutal beast. Oftentimes sounding more like Deranged than Possessed, Defleshed isn't afraid of grinding out some speedy blasts and vicious, sawing tremolo riffs alongside the more temperate, thrash-influenced sections. The putrid, roaring vocals add an interesting edge of Obituary to the proceedings, but the emphasis is really all on the neckbreaking rhythmic action of the band. Diving deftly between rolling, midpaced stomp and almost incoherently fast blast, the band has a certain attacking, vindictive quality that makes them stand out substantially from the pack.

Most of Defleshed's music sounds pretty much the same, and it's hardly necessary stuff unless you're infatuated with their style, so I'll go out on a limb and say if there's just one, single item by the band you'd need to get, it would be this one. It really gets the band's style across in the best possible manner, and the compact running time of this disc keeps things from getting bogged down and sluggish. Plus you can find it anywhere for like three bucks so you have no excuse not to get it.

This live album is a lot of fun to listen to and this has not only to do with some well written compositions but also how they were performed on stage. Yes, those three musicians leave little doubt about their intentions and where the road is going here: fast and furious death metal. Twenty minutes, seven tracks … not much space for epics, ey? Do not expect mercy on any of the compositions! The live concert is nothing but a blast from second one and while listening to the music, you get a good impression about the musicians' technical abilities. Well, it is Matte Modin on the drums after all, so expect some cool stuff with a lot of power from him and his blasts add a lot to the very good performance of the band. Listen to the latest crap released by Dark Funeral – Angelus Exuro pro Eternus – and you can clearly hear how much he is missed there.

Alright, the paragraph above contains a slight oversimplification: there are also some slower moments on this album; In Chains & Leather for instance. Nevertheless, these are rather the exception and Defleshed delivered in a similar way to their 'normal releases'. Actually, sometimes you get the impression they play the music even fast than originally conceived. A track like Metallic Warlust sounds much tighter and has more power than the version on the Under the Blade record. Some kind of downturn is the way the songs merge into each other. Three groups (1-3; 4-6; 7) can identified on this album and a bit more consistency would have been neat. Flow is an important aspect when it comes to live albums.

Aside from this there is little to complain about... maybe the length of this output. The instruments have a surprisingly good sound and a lot of power. The growls of Gustaf Jorde were not even drowned by the drums or the guitars. So, even though the bass is a bit indistinguishable from the rest now and then, this does not effect the positive overall impression.

Final bits and bytes
Really cool sound for a live recording, even though it is a bit unbalanced, but Defleshed are still able to get their attention across: leave nothing but barren fields behind. The music on their albums is performed at an even more intense level, but despite the tempo of the compositions the band is not only able to play them properly, they also unleash nothing but aggressiveness from second one. Especially a track like Metallic Warlust really shows their capability and why a live concert of them could – the band has ceased to be – have been worth attending. Well, fans of this band should definitely get this neat piece of art, because those twenty minutes are intense at best.

Recommended tracks: Metallic Warlust, Walking The Moons Of Mars

This is a live album from Swedish death metal band Defleshed. They certainly seem to have done their homework on what Swedish death should sound like, throwing all of the typical ingredients together to form their sound which is very fast and brutal.

Defleshed actually started around the same time, just a couple of years later in fact, as many other Swedish death metal bands. However, where Entombed, Dismember, and Grave were able to get a full length album out and capitalize fairly quickly, it took Defleshed several more years to get their first full length out, which is perhaps why they remained mired in the underground, unknown except to people who are obsessed with Swedish death.

The most interesting aspect of this album is that it is a live album. It sounds like they’re playing a bar with maybe five to ten people in the audience. It’s actually kind of amusing to listen and hear everyone yelp, whistle, and cheer and be able to make out distinct voices.

The songs are very short and go by lightning-fast. If one is not paying attention, you could conceivably miss an entire song. The crowd probably would be a tip off that the song ended, but that’s it.

The music consists of standard Swedish death metal riffs with some hints of thrash thrown in for good measure. The guitars sound like chainsaws ripping through flesh. Unfortunately, in a live setting, sometimes its difficult to clearly hear the riffs and that is kind of the problem here as well. There are few, if any, solos, and they could not be heard very well anyway. The drummer is very entertaining as he is adding fills throughout the songs while still being able to keep time. The bass cannot be heard at all.

The singer sounds like he is trying to scream through a mouthful of blood. He has a voice that sounds desiccated and decayed as if he just crawled out of the grave. It’s rather amusing to hear him continue to use this voice as he announces the next song.

The production value is not very good. As mentioned earlier, the guitars sound a little muddy at times and the vocalist can not be heard well at all. The bass cannot be heard at all.

Still, this remains an interesting pickup of an underground Swedish death metal band. It is entertaining and a fast listen. Recommended for major fans of the scene and for completists. Anyone looking to get into the band should try their full lengths first.