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Post by The Centurion on Dec 13, 2006 11:34:33 GMT -5
Scourged Flesh-Released From damnation Released-2006 Label-Rowe Productions Style-Thrashy Death Metal Most people have probably never heard of Perth Australia, if they have they probably don't think about it much. Those people certainly wouldn't consider that two Christian thrash/death metal bands have made a strong emergence from that very place. Those two bands are Scourged Flesh and Grave Forsaken. Both bands have recently released debut albums on Steve Rowe's(Mortification) personal record label Rowe Productions. While Grave Forsaken pursues the more traditional thrash and heavy metal side of things, Scourged Flesh is exploring the more brutal sides of thrash and death metal. The first thing you'll notice about Released From damnation is the awesome though cheesy artwork by Troy Dunmire. The production value of this disc is of great quality since it is a full on studio release. The album kicks off with Ressurection Day, while being a pretty good song, I don't think it should have been the first song on the album, as when the whole song kicks it, it only comes in with a bass line in the background with the vocals screamed over it. I think the band would have made a better first impression if they would have opened up the album with Released From damnation. The drumming is actually very good, while not the most technical or advanced drumming I've ever heard, the drum parts make sense and offer much more than just time keeping. In time I think Dave is gonna grow to be one of Christian metal's better drummers. Did I mention how good the drum production is on this disc? I cant get enough of those beefy double bass kicks. The guitar playing is loaded with tons of potential. Some of the riffs are the most interesting and fresh that I've heard in awhile, with a lot of emphasis on groove. The guitar solos are well done, but I want more of them. The vocals are extremely raw sounding and enjoyable, although at times they are very hard to understand without looking right at the booklet. There are some spoken word sections which sound good and creepy. Like anything though there are some things that I think could be improved upon. The biggest issue with this disc is the inconsistency of the songs. What you have is a bunch of awesome songs mixed in with songs that pale in comparison. Songs like Released from damnation and Dark Eyes are able to show many different aspects of the band, yet songs like Prince of Peace and Resurrection Day really don't measure up. The band might do well to focus more on variation within the songs and not rely as much on chorus's. Lyrically Scourged Flesh are very similar to their Perth counterparts Grave Forsaken and have a very upfront and uncompromising message of salvation through Christ. The only thing I didn't like about the lyrics is the use of the word erasing ex "erase that sin" as an obvious reference to Mortification's latest album Erasing the Goblin. I'm not sure if this is intentional but I think it could be since the band is wearing Erasing the Goblin shirts in their band photo's. Overall though I think this is an above average first album from a band who has been around for a very short period of time. The band would do better in the future to focus their songs more and make them the very best they could. This disc is still available from www.soundmass.com so go buy it and the Grave Forsaken disc. Standout songs are Dark Eyes, Released from damnation, and Destiny. Reviewed by Dan.
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Post by metasaiah on Dec 13, 2006 16:55:19 GMT -5
Good stuff Dan - well said, although my opinion on "standout songs" will differ because I've moshed my head off to all of them for a while now and love them all!
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Post by The Centurion on Dec 13, 2006 19:48:30 GMT -5
well, i dont think any of the songs suck, i think that some are better than others though.
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Post by godrulz on Dec 13, 2006 22:36:17 GMT -5
Hey Dan. Very well reviewed mate. We appreciate the time and effort you went through to put this together. I don't know how you could listen to that cd over and over. haha!! I agree with most of your review dude. As most people know, I am not a big fan of our debut cd. I even spoke to Steve Rowe about it last night. I am a extremely critical person, especially of my own drumming. Quite frankly, I think I did a terrible job drumming on the album. But we won't go into that. Hopefully I will improve over time. I find it funny that you thought "Ressurection Day" didn't cut it as much as some of the others. I mean, like I said, I don't like the album but I know a few people's favourite song is "Ressurection Day". "Ressurection Day" is the song being played on RTR Fm in Melbourne. it all comes down to personal preference I guess. I think we have had every song on the album become someone's favourite song. we have had comments about the cd and every person has a different favourite. I also agree the consistency isn't there. I mean, we recorded the album after only being a band for about 7 months I think? God willingly we will improve over time. I wish you hadn't said "Dark Eyes" is a good song. hahaha!! It's my dad's favourite song and it's all he shows people. Both Todd and myself don't really like it but thems the breaks. Also, bout the lyrics. Erasing? That is a big coincidence!! The lyrics were written before we had even heard Mort's Erasing The Goblin. We were wearing the "Erasing" shirts because we did the photo shoot about a week after Mortification came to Perth for the Erasing tour. We were still on a high from it. I think I even wore that shirt to bed for a couple days ina row. hahaha!! yeah, its just a coincidence mate. The lyrics are written without any influence from other bands. Just the Bible and God's leading Thanks again for the review Dan. I am glad some of the songs are good but like I said, I am sure we will improve over time. We want to record our next album next year but we will see if God allows it. Hopefully it's a much better installment.
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jcthemosher
Active Discussion Person
MOSH-tastic!
Life's Short, Pray Hard
Posts: 713
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Post by jcthemosher on Dec 13, 2006 23:41:08 GMT -5
Hey Dan, even me and Iron Guardian (aka Rowland the Roadie) were wearing the Mort Erasing T-shirt's for that photo shoot. LOL!
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Post by The Centurion on Dec 13, 2006 23:44:26 GMT -5
wow, i totally cant see how you would think the album was terrible. I think it shows alot of promise. The reason i dont like Resurrection Day is because when the full song kicks in and theres only the bass line and screaming, I feel like it should have been an all out blasting kill fest from that point on. I like the rest of the song pretty well, although i dont care much for chorus's. I feel your pain about not being a band long. We recorded the End of Destiny cd in August of 2006 and the band only formed in January 2006. Scary isnt it?
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Post by godrulz on Dec 14, 2006 7:10:49 GMT -5
Yeah, that was funny hey James. Everyone wearing "Erasing" shirt was pretty cool. Dan, that is pretty scary dude. That's about the exact same time as us before we recorded. We started the band in about feb/march this year and recorded in September this year. I don't think the album is the most terrible cd ever made but I just think it should have been alot better. There was alot of things that need improving on. At the end of the day though, we will just kick on with God's strengthening and keep on doing His work. I am hoping our next album is better. I think we have written some really good songs for the next album. I think some are probably the most brutal we have written to date? Thanks again for your kind words Dan. As for Resurrection Day, I agree with you. It could have been better with having the guitar cranked over that first part but they are all learning curves God bless!!
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Post by ironguardian on Dec 14, 2006 8:47:22 GMT -5
The reason i dont like Resurrection Day is because when the full song kicks in and theres only the bass line and screaming, I feel like it should have been an all out blasting kill fest from that point on. I agree with Dan on this. It was a poor song to open the album with. The first few moments of the song really build up in intensity, with awesome riffs and groove but then the guitar disappears and you feel let down... apart from that part the rest SHRED!!!! I'm listening to it now.
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Post by graveforsaken on Dec 18, 2006 22:46:09 GMT -5
Good review Dan - very descriptive and fair in my opinion. It's really interesting reading what other people have to say about these albums, seeing as we're all biased over here!
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Post by mercury on Dec 20, 2006 19:58:34 GMT -5
Well, after having a good listen my impressions were good ones. Scourged Flesh certainly have some real potential if they can keep a solid line up. Best track for me was 'In th image of God'. The opening grind riff is a killer and would have made a great opener- especially if the riff had progressed further and into one of the later fast riffs ( around 3.40 I think).
I particularly enjoyed the strong kick sound and meaty guitars/ vocals ( unlike another debut full length I can think of ha ha).
I have to be carefull in giving a critique of someone else's music, but if I can make some constructive criticisms.
Agreeing with the original review- loops in death metal these days can be a little flat. I can hear some really great riffing on the album, but Scourged Flesh would benefit from combing through their songs and removing 'filler' riffs and concentrate on writing songs that are 100% full of their best music. For example: quite a few tracks have very similar vocal bridges with down picking, remove most of these and condense the songs- it may take a lot longer to write full songs but you will have them squashed full of the band operating at 110%.
Filler riffs usually occur when the vocalist is also the lead guitarists and it can be rather difficult to play complex riffs and sing at the same time. Watch the timing with the double kick- occasionally the kicks are out of sync with the music, not by much, but enough to warrant using click tracks and pro tools on the next disc.
Influences; move away from early Mort and progress to current death metal. I would suggest listening to Nile and Sympathy( excellent technical death metal- can get from Soundmass) and some technical blackmetal which will bring some variation to the riff patterns.
Personally, the opening riff on 'in the image of God', some of the slow meaty riffs and some of the more 'mellow' material need to be explored. Please do not rush your next cd into the public- comb through your material- make sure that each song pushes you to the make when you play it- if death metal is comfortable to play then it isn't death metal and is not your best.
Over all- I like this album and after watching their live performance can say that they are certainly good enough to be playing club shows and festivals such as Blackstump and AGMF. Great start guys, work very hard on the next one.
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Post by godrulz on Dec 21, 2006 21:52:50 GMT -5
Thanks so much Mercury. Your review is very helpful. It means alot to have a review from a dude I really look up to. We will endeavour to go through this review and try and incorporate it in our music. This is a really great review mate. We really appreciate all of the comments about our band and the album. We hope we can improve a great deal and I believe with God's help we can do it. Hopefully this is just the start of a great ministry. Thanks again for everyone's input and reviews. God bless you all and Merry Christmas.
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zargoth
Active Discussion Person
Posts: 308
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Post by zargoth on Feb 8, 2007 10:00:04 GMT -5
I love the album too guys! Great work... Don't get down on yourselves!!! It is a great start. Do you really want to record your 'Rust in Peace', 'Master of Puppets' or 'Snakes in the Playground' as your first! Give yourselves time to develop. Rock on and great work.
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Post by ironguardian on Feb 8, 2007 23:39:26 GMT -5
The reason i dont like Resurrection Day is because when the full song kicks in and theres only the bass line and screaming, I feel like it should have been an all out blasting kill fest from that point on. I agree with Dan on this. It was a poor song to open the album with. The first few moments of the song really build up in intensity, with awesome riffs and groove but then the guitar disappears and you feel let down... apart from that part the rest SHRED!!!! I'm listening to it now. I wish to retract this statement. When the openning track is played LOUD and you listen carefully, it is one of the best tracks on the whole album.
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Post by trailblazer777 on Mar 6, 2007 7:30:05 GMT -5
In time I think Dave is gonna grow to be one of Christian metal's better drummers. Did I mention how good the drum production is on this disc? I cant get enough of those beefy double bass kicks. The guitar playing is loaded with tons of potential. Some of the riffs are the most interesting and fresh that I've heard in awhile, with a lot of emphasis on groove. The guitar solos are well done, but I want more of them. The vocals are extremely raw sounding and enjoyable I agree with the above statements, I think if Scourged Flesh is patient about getting all the right pieces in place with Gods timing again, the potential is there for an absolute classic we will remember for many years to come just like Morts Scrolls of the Megilloth, or Believer: Extraction from mortality or Dimensions or Deliverance: WOOW. in the next album....many bands do their best album on the second album cos they have the chance to learn from the first album but are still fresh and at the peak of their powers...I like Mercurys comment that if you are feeling comfortable playing death metal then you probably aren't producing the best you are capable of...I think the current album is awesome and the 2nd one will be worth the wait! if you build well and learn from the good and bad parts of the first album... ;D ;D but then again what would I know....Ive never really been in a band...
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Post by ironguardian on Mar 6, 2007 7:48:27 GMT -5
One of the best things are that the lyrics are 100%for God... no ambiguity
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Post by trailblazer777 on Sept 18, 2007 7:55:05 GMT -5
Destiny I really like some of the sounds in that song. Released from damnation is pretty cool!, I like "wait for the other side" too....they are the ones really grabbing my attention. I think it reminds me of Mort and Believer, those two bands are the bands I think of when listening to Scourged Flesh. some of the intro sounds reminded me of the Believer Dimensions album...
hey mr centurion can we have Deliverance :As above so below (2006?)listed for review?
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Post by The Centurion on Sept 19, 2007 13:00:45 GMT -5
Yeah, I or somebody else here needs a copy of the album
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Post by trailblazer777 on Sept 19, 2007 19:25:37 GMT -5
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