Recommended Aussie Tunes:Psycroptic | The new single "A Fragile Existence" | Listen

Album Reviews : Skeletal Remains – Devouring Mortality

By on July 15, 2018

The third album in the career of a band can often be a defining moment and one which is an indication of how much longevity is left within an artist or a band. Master of Puppets, Reign in Blood, Covenant and Tomb of the Mutilated all being notable examples of this.

Having formed in 2011 and drawing influences from old school heavyweights such as Morbid Angel, Death, Pestilence and Obituary I knew I was probably going to enjoy what was on offer when I first came across this band in 2015 with their second release “Condemned to Misery”. They wear their influences on their sleeve but have seemed to inject their own level of swagger and modern touch which is essential in the realm of death metal in 2018. There are nods to thrash throughout Devouring Mortality as well as tonnes of groove and melody giving each track it’s own feel and identity. Throw in another impressive album cover by Dan Seagrave and an in your face production which features the stellar work of none other than Dan Swano.

Like a lot of death metal and heavy metal for that matter, the power of the riff is on showcase on this record. Far from lacking any character the guitars punch through like a freight train while at the same allowing echo’s of classic death metal to penetrate the modern production. Both Chris Monroy and Adrian Obregon display the technical ability and execution for what is needed on a record such as this. The balance between ripping guitar solos and bone crunching riffs can be difficult, but that has certainly been achieved here.

The work of drummer Johnny Valles and bass player Adrius Marquez are not restricted to that of unrelenting blast beats, but rather provide levels of variety which can sometimes be lacking in the realm of modern death metal. This ensures particular songs are given room to breathe and give the listener a chance to adapt when those groove sections come to play (being as there are quite a few of them)

The raspy vocals of Chris Monroy give a noticeable nod to that of Obituary’s John Tardy and Asphyx‘s Martin Van Drunen, but containing a slightly higher pitch. Often a vocalist can be what draws you to a particular band and this was one of the aspects which makes this record so enjoyable.

From the opening track “Ripperology” the album contains killer track after killer track. It isn’t groundbreaking, but that which is much in the vein of old school 90’s death metal (arguably the greatest period of extreme music). Devouring Mortality proves how far Skeletal Remains have come as musicians and as a band together.

Band: Skeletal Remains
Album: Devouring Mortality
Year: 2018
Genre: Death Metal
Label:  Century Media Records
Origin: United States