UMUR "Only the Ruthless Remain" is the 5th full-length studio album by US, New York based death metal act Skinless. The album was released through Relapse Records in June 2015. It´s been quite a few years since the release of their previous studio album "Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead (2006)" but Skinless disbanded in April 2011 and wasn´t reformed until August 2011. Only three of the members who recorded the predecessor are still part of the lineup on "Only the Ruthless Remain" as lead vocalist Jason Keyser has been replaced by Sherwood Webber. The band has also brought in a second guitarist in Dave Matthews, making Skinless a five-piece on this release. The usual suspects are Noah Carpenter (guitars), Joe Keyser (bass), and Bob Beaulac (drums).

Stylistically the music on "Only the Ruthless Remain" is brutal technical death metal. It´s a bit more varied than the majority of acts in that end of the death metal spectrum, and Skinless also manages to stand out from the crowd with a relatively original style. The musicianship is on a high level on all posts, and one jaw dropping moment is followed by another throughout the album, but the technical playing is more often than not a means to an end, rather than just technical noodling around. The album is packed with catchy brutal riffs, crushingly brutal breakdowns (which at times smell a bit of deathcore), fiercely aggressive growling vocals (and even a couple of clean ones for effect), and a very well playing rhythm section, which provides the music with loads of tempo changes, breaks, and just generally ultra brutal beats.

It´s however the quality and cathiness of the songwriting which set Skinless apart from many of their more mediocre contemporaries. "Only the Ruthless Remain" is a brutal technical death metal album where you can actually remember the tracks, because they stand out from each other, and because of the variation within tracks. It´s also a wise choice that the band have opted to only include 7 tracks on the 35:35 minutes long album. With such a brutal and relentless attack on the senses it would be hard to endure a longer playing time (no matter how great this release is).

So "Only the Ruthless Remain" is all about quality over quantity and I applaud that. It´s simply a quality release through and through. Excellent musicianship, a raw, powerful, and detailed sound production, and clever yet effectful songwriting. Skinless is back with a vengeance and a 4.5 star (90%) rating is deserved.