adg211288 FleshCraft (2013) is the third full-length album by Danish death metal act Corpus Mortale. As their first release since A New Species of Deviant (2007) FleshCraft is something of a comeback album for the group, although they’ve stayed together during that time. Corpus Mortale has never been the most productive band though despite a history which goes back to 1993. The good thing though is that if FleshCraft is anything to go by when Corpus Mortale do surface to put a new album out you can tell that this is a band that knows their craft well. Pun very much intended.

The music itself is fairly standard death metal of the no frills attached kind, resulting in an album that will give you about forty minutes of unrelenting power, intensity, and aggression. The guitar work of the group is the most impressive element of the album, not because it’s particularly technical or has abundant virtuosity, but the riffs keep me entertained throughout, making a great backdrop for the deep growling vocals of Martin Rosendahl. What lead playing there is on the album is also quite laid back and used to flavour the riffs. I like that, it shows they care about the song instead of feeling obligated to solo. Overall this is death metal with old school values although the sound itself comes over as quite modern because of the clear production.

The songs go tend to blur together a bit because of the single-minded approach to the music, although I have to give special mention to Scorn of the Earth, Enthralled and Seize the Moment of Murder as the best out of the ten tracks, while the opening Weakest of the Weak comes across as, if you’ll pardon the pun this time, the weakest of the bunch. I won’t say it’s aptly named though because in general the album is quite strong, although I do feel obligated to point out that it’s one of those albums which is at its best when taken as a whole. Individually the songs, even the highlights, suffer due to not being memorable enough to keep me wanting to come back to them. I can remember the album as a whole well enough to say that FleshCraft is a pretty great death metal release, but stick a song from it on and tell me to guess which it is and I couldn’t honestly tell you. But the important thing at the end of the day is that although the opener is my least favourite song here if I stick it on at the start I can happily listen to it right through to the conclusion, and it’s because of that that I feel okay to give it a great album tier rating.

75/100

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven (http://metaltube.freeforums.org/corpus-mortale-fleshcraft-t2894.html))

Time Signature Strongest of the strong...

Genre: death metal

The fourth album from Danish death metal veterans Corpus Mortale, FleshCraft sees the band take their music further into the territory of brutal death metal that they have always operated within.

Unleashing blastbeats and crushing riffs, the album is a relentless onslaught of musical brutality. But there is more to Corpus Mortale's music on this album than just blasting brutality. Taking cues from the likes of Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation, FleshCraft is considerably sophisticated, and the Danes definitely operate at a considerable level of technicality. Thus each track is built upon a complext structure with breakdowns (not the metalcore type) and buildups, as well as shifts and changes. In particular, the clockwork precise drumming and the sweeping, and often incredibly melodic, guitar solos reflect a very high level of musicianship and professionalism.

The production is crisp and well-defined, and, while it has the typical crunch of brutal death metal, there is a clarity to it that allows the listener to perceive and appreciate all the details. This is another aspect of the album that reveals how professional this act is.

While not particularly innovative, the album is solid as hell, and, to my ears, wholly enjoyable. The Danish metal scene is nowhere near the level of popularity that characterizes the scenes of the other Scandinavian countries, but, with acts like Corpus Mortale, Danish metalheads still have something to be proud of.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)

J-Man With a history dating back to 1993, Corpus Mortale are surely among the longest-running death metal acts out of Demark. In spite of this, however, 2013's FleshCraft is only the band's fourth full-length release, as they have taken rather sizable breaks between recording sessions. Fans of Corpus Mortale's previous efforts of ultra-brutality have had to endure quite a long wait for FleshCraft, but the album's pummeling riffs, complex song structures, and tight playing means that the wait was definitely worth it.

Corpus Mortale's style of death metal resembles the semi-technical brutality of acts like Cannibal Corpse, Malevolent Creation, or Hate Eternal - that is to say that their music is more brutal than your average death metal act, but still maintains a high level of sophistication without diving into tech-death territory. FleshCraft sports a sleek production that allows each instrument to shine, and the band's playing throughout its 41 minute duration is remarkable. These guys are as tight and professional-sounding as it gets, and Rasmus Schmidt's drumming is almost unbelievably precise - Corpus Mortale is certainly not an act you would ever mistake for amateurs.

As professional as FleshCraft is, however, I can't say that I'm totally sold on everything here. For one, this isn't an album that brings many new ideas to the table, and there's not really anything here that most death metal listeners haven't heard before. The tracks don't strike me as all too memorable either, which is largely due to FleshCraft's lack of dynamic diversity - the riffs are varied both rhythmically and structurally, but their lack of subtlety makes for a rather unmemorable listen.

Still, FleshCraft is a lot of fun to listen to while it lasts, and tracks like "Love Lies Bleeding" absolutely kick your ass (in a good way) every time. Brutal death metal enthusiasts and fans of Corpus Mortale's previous efforts will want to check out this highly professional observation, but more casual listeners can probably pass on this one.