Project: Failing Flesh — A Beautiful Sickness

The man/machine concept seems a neverending source of inspiration for new metalbands. Particularly because homerecording has spread and the use of drumcomputers and synthesizers is available to everyone with a PC. Not that this is a homerecording, this is recorded in a real studio and it sounds professional indeed.

The trio, featuring ex-VoïVod vocalist Eric Forrest (currently also in E-Force) carries the concept of machines to perfect the errors of the flesh all the way through, in text and music. Extreme metal, with influences from thrash and sometimes a touch of black metal, with additions of synthesizers to give it a futuristic appeal. Even a viola (played by Dysrhythmia's Clayton Anderson) pops up in 9mm Movie to do a disturbing, 'contemporary classical'-like improvisation. Long Silent Forces features an extensive, soundtrack-ish orchestral part.

Despite all the non-metal additions, A Beautiful Sickness is first and foremost a metalalbum. Thanks to Eric's aggressive voice and the industrial atmosphere you can't but think of VoïVod's Negatron but this definitely isn't a ripoff. Far from it, it just serves as a reference and the guys add enough of their own flavour to it. The Venom-cover Warhead seems a bit awkward in this mix, this version gives me the same feeling as the version Massacre once did. Somehow this riff always sounds strange when somebody else than Mantas plays it. Oh well, see it as a nice bonus.

A Beautiful Sickness is a great and modern sounding metaldisc, well produced and creative. Although it has an electronic nature the music doesn't sound too clinical, it maintains an organic feel somewhere, I guess we have to thank the 'failing flesh' for that.