Unitron Fleshcraft is the debut album from death metal band Painface.

Anders Colsefni left Slipknot when they decided to replace him with Corey Taylor on lead vocals pushing the band into super-stardom. Of course they also drastically altered their sound, getting rid of all of the jazz, funk, death metal, and various other styles of Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. Colsefni eventually re-formed his old band Painface, and continued through the underground while Slipknot went ahead and became a household name with their more accessible sound. So does Painface continue where Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. left off?

No, not really, as Fleshcraft features a much more straight-forward groovy death metal sound with the occasional thrash riff. Not that this is a bad thing, as this is a killer album. Songs like "Cave Dancer", "The New Son", "Fallen Silent", "Umbral Quest", "Dead to Me", "Last Rites", and "Step Into the Dark" are among the highlights of the album. The album is pretty consistent though, so most of the songs are of equal quality. It's also a short album, clocking in at just over 32 minutes, so it doesn't get boring.

Colsefni's vocals are fantastic as always, usually staying in growl/snarl/gruff range for this album. His gruff vocals fit surprisingly well with some of the melodies. The guitar work is in total groove-death fashion, with groovy main riffs and classic metal riffing and soloing. The production is decent, albeit a bit rough so the rhythm section sometimes sounds a bit murky. Thankfully, this is death metal so it can work. Gorefest is a good reference to the overall sound of the band.

While I enjoy their recent EP more, this album is certainly worth a listen if you're a fan of death 'n' roll in the vein of bands like Gorefest. Hope you found this review helpful, Feel free to comment!

Unitron Painface-Skullcrusher

'Skullcrusher' is the second EP and third overall release by death/groove metal band Painface. After releasing their debut album 'Fleshcraft' in 2000, Painface went inactive up until they reformed in 2008. After hearing this short little EP from 2013, I'm fully convinced that Painface's upcoming new album will be a winner.

Unlike the more groove-oriented death sound of their debut, 'Skullcrusher' puts death at it's front sound mixing in thrash. This is heard in the opening 'Gunslinger' beginning with spoken word before intense fast riffing comes in. The chorus is extremely catchy with the chants of 'Gunslinger' and Anders Colsefini's low growls of 'Choose your firepower'. The title track is a double-bass filled track with gruesome Cannibal Corpse-esque lyrics. On 'Tlalocan' Greg Stravers gives an especially amazing drum performance with more then just double-bass. 'The Dominion' is probably my favorite, having all of the musicians being at their strongest.

Colsefini's vocals are probably among the most varied I've heard in death metal, being able to switch from some of the lowest growls to some of the highest-pitched screams. This is most heard on the final song 'The Dominion'.

Overall, I highly recommend this EP to any fans of death metal. It's a very strong EP with four very memorable songs, and nice to hear that the band has not lost any touch in the thirteen years they were away much less making something even better. Hope you found this review helpful.

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