UMUR "Savagery" is the 6th full-length studio album by US, New York based death metal act Skinless. The album was released through Relapse Records in May 2018. Skinless have been active since 1992 but disbanded in 2011. They however reunited in 2013 (with a couple of lineup changes) and released their 5th full-length studio album "Only the Ruthless Remain" in 2015.

Stylistically "Savagery" is a combination of brutal technical death metal and more groove laden core influences. So it´s probably an album that old school death metal purists won´t be satisfied with, but those who enjoy brutal grooves in their death metal may find something of interest here (it actually says a lot about the influences on the original material here, that Skinless have opted to cover a Crowbar track as a bonus track). While the band occasionally play fast, most tracks are kept in groove laden mid-pace and occasionally slower paces. The vocals are a combination of deep unintelligible growling and higher pitched screams and the occasional use of an aggressive shouting vocal type.

"Savagery" features a raw sound production, which suits the music pretty well (although maybe slightly too murky in the end), and the musicianship is on a high level on all posts, so "Savagery" is a quality release on most parameters. It´s not an album I remember much from when it´s finished though, and it´s in the songwriting department Skinless could improve. It´s not that there aren´t tempo changes and generally good variation within tracks, but there aren´t that many hooks to hold on to and the effect laden brutal growling style becomes a bit one-dimensional after a while (it´s definitely a nice breather when they use the other vocal styles). A 3 to a 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

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recorded the predecessor are still part of the lineup on "Only the Ruthless Remain" as lead vocalist Jason Keyser has been replaced by Sherwood Webber.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.