Live in Montreal

When I first heard the intro into Deeds of Flesh' 'Live In Montreal' DVD, I thought this is a science fiction movie, somethin' like fucking Star Wars. It's a pretty fucking long intro, but it just creates the right atmosphere for the beginning of the killing - "Carnivorous Ways" from 'Trading Pieces', one of the first hyper-brutal releases ever, a record that breaks the fucking cranium. And just like Joey Heaslet did a killer job on 'Trading Pieces', Mike Hamilton (ex-Vile) shows no mercy. If you have heard him before, or seen, you know what I mean. This guy is a fucking machine gun, a fucking gattling gun. He keeps the tempo (light speed) all the time the same, he never slows down, his double bass pedals never rest; it's obious then that he uses triggers, no living being on this world can be that fast, except Doc from Vader (R.I.P.). His blast beats are unbelievably fast and precisely, as if he was a brain surgeon, doing precise cuts in the frontal lobe of the brain. Mike just can't slow down, 'cause Eric's arrangements are total derangements of music and harmony.

Eric is one of the most respected guitar players in the Brutal Death Metal scene, and he is one of the most innovative. A normal human being couldn't just remember and keep all those chords and arrangements in fucking mind. But he succeeds, and he is the best by far. Not only his guitar play is infamous, but also his voice, being the lead vocalist among Jacoby Kingston's high-end shrieks. Just like sounds from hell, Erik growls the lyrics into the crowd, but he is calm all the time, does some headnodding from time to time, but mostly he just stands their, plays his guitar and disgorges his intestines. Jacoby does also some guttural vocals, but mostly his parts are the shrieks. He is the one on the stage that totally goes wild, he headbangs from beginning to the end of the set, waving his hair from one side of the stage to another. His song announcements are killer, doing some jokes from time to time, talking to the crowd, making fun of them, being a really great entertainer.

If any band has ever released a must-hear, must-have and must-see DVD, it's fucking Deeds of Flesh. The production of sound and video is unbelievable, it just kicks ass. You hear every instrument, every part and every played chord and drum sound, even the bass tracks are there, when most bands just let them be bass tracks. It's almost as if they just took the songs from the records, and played them to the crowd. That shows what 12 years of experience and practice in Brutal Death Metal produce; Deeds of Flesh aren't just any Brutal Death Metal band, they are the kings and leaders of the whole fucking scene. And as all the positive sides of the DVD are mentioned, now a negative: what I don't like when seeing bands live, is when they just stand there and play, and actually don't move a bit. Except for Jacoby, there was total catatonia on the stage. If Jacoby was a one-man band, this would have been a great scene, but he isn't and that's a problem.

But when you think a bit better, and when you see Deeds of Flesh live, you just can't imagine yourself jumping around and doing some shit in the moshpit, there is no way you can jump around through a whole Deeds of Flesh setlist. Their music is too complex for any punk bullshit, it needs severe concentration, focusing on the music and the playing of the musicians. That's why I understand when at a Deeds gig most people just stand there and watch - that's all you can do. In the end, those fucked up Punk morons save the reputation of all Death Metallers, doing some stupid, non-sense shit. It's good to have a bunch of idiots, who jump around, and whom you can give an elbow punch in the kidney when they come at you. That's the true spirit of Death Metal, and nothing else - punching people in the kidnies and standing with crossed arms at Brutal Death Metal concerts. Keep this in mind.