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Skeletal Remains - The Entombment Of Chaos review




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Reviewer:
7.7

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7.59
Band: Skeletal Remains
Album: The Entombment Of Chaos
Release date: September 2020


01. Cosmic Chasm (Intro)
02. Illusive Divinity
03. Congregation Of Flesh
04. Synthetic Impulse
05. Tombs Of Chaos
06. Enshrined In Agony
07. Dissectasy
08. Torturous Ways To Obliteration
09. Eternal Hatred
10. Unfurling The Casket
11. Stench Of Paradise Burning [Disincarnate cover] [bonus]

Skeletal Remains produce a record that pays you back for the years of keeping them in your mind.

American death metallers Skeletal Remains find themselves facing a new problem with their latest record; how do you follow up a record that opened doors for you and attracted many eyes onto your band? The Entombment Of Chaos is a good answer to these problems, and one that will at the very least carry forward their momentum if it doesn't fuel the hype further.

Recognising the only move they can make at this stage in their careers, Skeletal Remains opt to try and better their previous output on The Entombment Of Chaos, rather than change direction or experiment much beyond finding a new way to pulverise your eardrums. This results in one of the hardest-hitting albums of the year, with each track imbued with a sense of purpose and power that will beat you into submission if you let it play.

While the band's aim of creating visceral and hard-hitting death metal is a constant throughout the album, they do manage to switch up their approach and focus to varying extents on different elements of their sound. Tracks like "Tombs Of Chaos" showcase their groove inclinations that are driven by the pairing of Young and De La O on bass and guitar, respectively, while "Eternal Hatred" is a product of the Autopsy school of death metal and "Dissectasy" spawns the mental image of Suffocation in my head. While they are indebted to these bands, Skeletal Remains manage to put their own stamp on these songs and ensure that they are identified as their own works first and foremost.

This character is provided by the solid performances of the band, led by the demonic roars of Monroy, who sounds like he is perpetually drifting between Dante's stages of hell and his anguished vocals are a mere portal to the damned made flesh. He is the Dave Mustaine of Skeletal Remains, the constant member in a shifting line-up of characters who do well to fit into the band's sound in a short turnaround period. Monroy does well to ensure this high rate of turnover doesn't derail any aspect of the band's sound or momentum.

The album does start off on the wrong foot with "Illusive Divinity" sounding very generic; it makes me recognise that this early in the band's career, they have developed their own sound and style, as I found the song to lack this character. After this early stumble, however, the band plant their strongest foot first, sticking it square in your face for the rest of the record. From "Congregation Of Flesh" onwards, it is like a roller coaster ride where you hang on for dear life, with only the short atmospheric guitar musings of "Enshrined In Agony" letting up to let you and the music catch your/its breath.

The album does encounter the problem of working well as a unit, but wilting somewhat when cut up into individual tracks and put under the spotlight individually. Aside from the opening track, the songs aren't bad, but they work so much better when tied together and listened to in a sitting; picking off a song here or there to put into a Spotify playlist does diminish their impact somewhat. Whether this is a good or bad thing is up to you; you end up with the strange duality that you have great songs that sit perfectly together but then aren't as enjoyable when separated from each other. At the very least, it means you can't listen to one or two songs here or there. but it draws you in to listen to it as a whole.

Skeletal Remains produce a solid follow up to Devouring Mortality, and one that should keep their name in the spotlight and people's minds when they think of the new wave of death metal bands. The Entombment Of Chaos is a solid record that will give you plenty of enjoyment if listened to properly, lacking only the ability to pick songs apart and listen to separately, which does slightly hinder the ability to listen to it.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 8
Songwriting: 7
Originality: 6
Production: 8





Written on 10.10.2020 by Just because I don't care doesn't mean I'm not listening.


Comments

Comments: 2   Visited by: 17 users
21.10.2020 - 20:12
Rating: 7
tominator
At best deranged
I liked the previous record, haven't given this one a listen yet.

To be honest I kinda expected them to improve on the previous record rather than experiment more. Simply because the formula from the previous one seemed to connect with a lot of people.
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01.11.2020 - 10:09
Rating: 8
DarkWingedSoul

8,5 for me.
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