Creeping Flesh returns in grand style.
In addition to marking their transition to an independent band, God’s Acres Rife with Flesh Adorned, their third album, is the first to feature singer Filip Fougstedt alongside Sofus Stille (guitar), William Persson Öberg (guitar), Martin Kadhammar (drums, Strykjärn), and Korp Thidrandir (bass).
The album begins gently with A Portent of Defeat, a melodious yet somewhat melancholic introduction that takes a moment before giving way to distortion, which naturally ignites when Five Yards Apart kicks in, proudly displaying its brutality and abrasive Swedish roots. Blast beats, screams, and devastating riffs combine to give Old School Death Metal fans what they’ve been waiting for over the past four years, allowing a few piercing leads to seep into the wall of violence before granting us a brief moment of respite on Upon the Altar of Peace, the next track where haunting harmonics are prominently featured to accompany the apocalyptic slowness. The track remains fairly consistent except for the finale, where the double bass drum suddenly kicks in to lead us to the final chorus, then to Through the Reddening Surf, which quickly reveals its haunting sounds with obvious Death/Doom influences that fit perfectly with the massive sound. There’s a fairly melodic bass line before the unifying section, then the band returns to its relentless approach, barely letting us catch our breath before moving into Verdure Shift, where the band welcomes Giannis Nakos (Mortal Torment, Codedecoded, Procreate) to bolster the vocal assault with the power of his Brutal Death background. The chaotic final leads us to They Died Facing Forward, where the machine is once again launched at full speed, effortlessly trampling any attempt at resistance between aggressive roots and penetrating melodies, then The Horrors That Befell Them strikes us in turn, picking up the fury of the previous track while adding its own slightly more majestic touch. Olof Mörck (Amaranthe) lays down some leads on this track, followed by the vocal sample from The Price of Victory, a more soothing interlude where the sample and harmonics work together to pave the way for Come Glorious Dawn, where the massive sound immediately makes us want to break our necks following its catchy riffs. The epic leads soften the rhythm section somewhat, but the track is long and the martial influences take over again, followed by military-style vocals that lead into Before the Ashen Throne, the final track that once again intensifies the HM-2’s assault, letting the vocalist drive the riffs to the colossal finale, then into the infernal wind that marks the end of the album.
While Creeping Flesh had already built a solid reputation in the Death Metal scene, their Swedish influences make God’s Acres Rife with Flesh Adorned a true landmark of the genre, marking a major turning point for the band! Their sound is sure to leave a lasting impression and make heads spin!
95/100