Scent of Flesh - Deform in Torture
Firebox Records - February 2007
By Jordan Knoll
If anything falls into the love it or hate it category within metal it is the subject of Brutal Death Metal. It only follows from here that Finland’s
Scent of Flesh displays similar extremes in their latest observation,
Deform in Torture.
The album begins capable enough with some tasteful leads, competent riffing, brutal vocals and even a hint of eerie atmosphere. The second track
'At the Stake of Mercy' takes the aforementioned attributes and builds on them adamantly. More specifically, the conscious injection of much-needed atmosphere into the compositions prove that Scent of Flesh are more than capable of writing compelling material. However, the album, much like
Citizen Kane auteur Orson Welles' career, peaks far too early as this momentary brilliance turns out to be just that. Instead of furthering the promising atmospheric aspirations that were previewed earlier,
Scent of Flesh seem content to regress into generic slam/brutal death mediocrity by album's end. A territory, as we all know, that is far too overpopulated as it stands.
Maybe to BDM fans
Deform in Torture appears like an interesting release, but, to me, any promise that was displayed on the first two tracks is obliterated by utterly boring later compositions. Creating, overall, an incredibly unbalanced work that is in desperate need of refinement.
Official Scent of Flesh Website
Official Firebox Records Website
