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Defleshed > Royal Straight Flesh > Reviews
Defleshed - Royal Straight Flesh

A bit of a letdown - 70%

Xeper, May 7th, 2003

I had high hopes for this album. I love the previous one, 'Fast Forward', as it's a rifftastic and no-bullshit death/thrash album, and is ragingly awesome. So, I was expecting another barrage of catchy and intense riffs from these guys, complemented with more great production (they're the heaviest trio I can think of). The production is indeed still great, and the style hasn't varied much, but the riffs are lacking, sadly. Most of them aren't very memorable and don't go anywhere, and while some of the thrashy rhythms are still present, I find I have trouble telling one song from another. The musicianship is still fantastic, of course-I'm referring particularly to Matte Modin's drumming, which approaches speeds that are simply not of this earth. He's downright amazing, and his work with other bands like Nonexist only proves that even more, as he shreds away while still keeping a solid foundation with the bassist. Even the lyrics are pretty damn cool in places, though this is hardly a big issue on these kinds of albums. Sure, there are some strong songs, like the opener "Hand Over Fist" and "Fire in the Soul". The title track also sports some nifty thrashiness, which is rarely a bad thing. Never the less, I was hoping this one would be equally riffalicious, and sounds like their riff supply has worn a bit thin, as this just comes off sounding like 'more of the same', but not the same quality. I haven't lost faith in them yet, though.