Skinless — Savagery
Starting with Jesse Levitt's cover art, and continuing with the opening riff, Skinless sets off on a path of death metal penance for all the non-believers. Straight forward and pummeling, "Savagery" gets the ball rolling and lets the inertia of the nine following tracks keep it in motion. Opening up the floor to bigger grooves and breakdowns than 2015's Only the Ruthless Remain, Skinless continue to keep their game changing enough so that their sound doesn't get stale. That's not to say that there aren't some well done and interesting traditional elements going on here. Fun and interesting riffs abound and serve as a welcome platform for the gruff cadence on display. Not only that, but extra vocal tracks thicken and add diversity to the driving growl. The drumming on Savagery shows a skillful mix of restraint and all out brutality. Blasting forth with a pounding onslaught, "Cruel Blade of the Guillotine" shows off this pummeling drum work and overall ferocity of Savagery. This is then followed by the restrained instrumental, "The Hordes." Showing that Skinless can cover all of the metal territory in their way, this one-two punch is a great close to a solid album.
Skinless' latest, Savagery, is a solid, pummeling entry in their well respected catalog. Out May 11th on Relapse, and a US tour following, Skinless is ready to bring their brutal show on the road and thrash with the masses. Fans of death metal should pick up their latest and enjoy a nice chunk of death metal bliss.