Deeds of Flesh / Reduced to Ashes
Album: Reduced to Ashes   Collection:General
Artist:Deeds of Flesh   Added:Oct 2003
Label:Unique Leader Entertainmt  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2003-12-08 Pull Date: 2004-02-09 Charts: Loud
Week Ending: Feb 8 Jan 11 Dec 14
Airplays: 1 1 1

Recent Airplay
1. Feb 05, 2004: Dolce!
Avowed Depraved
3. Dec 11, 2003: Baptism of Solitude
Disinterred Archaic Heap
2. Jan 07, 2004: press and release
The Endurance
4. Nov 20, 2003: The Human Condition
Disinterred Archaic Heap

Album Review
Orges
Reviewed 2003-11-17
Deeds of Flesh – Reduced to Ashes (Unique Leader)
Oh my! Brutal, technical metal from California, these guys have the most guttural, down-tuned, and straight-up evil sound I’ve heard all year long. One could say this is too much, and that’s certainly the case if you’re not used to this kind of music, but for the veterans of the genre, this is pure bliss. Blast beats everywhere, insane riffing, killer vocals, really evil sounding and just so hurtful, tempo changes like you wouldn’t believe; this is one big carpool off a cliff. I love it. On the other hand, most of the tracks do kinda blend into one another. There isn’t a whole lot done in terms of variation, or dynamics, or ummmmm, variation. Sure, the riffs sound different and unique, but overall all the songs just blast out at you and try to knock you flat on your back, one after the other, albeit at differing tempos and with differing effectiveness. Still, a great CD, and very A-file worthy. My favorites were:

1) Starts out with an awesome “Omen” sample, and then the riff and blast beat tries to take a chunk out of your head.
3) Triplets galore, double bass from hell, and one hellish vocal performance. The riffs get really technical and complex and twisty-turny around the halfway mark.
4) Starts out mid-tempo and tries really hard to stay that way, although it occasionally delves into the usual bone-crushing fare (I guess they can’t help themselves). Still, the mid-paced churning riffs work well with the vocals and the guitar squeals.
8) More triplets to start out, and then a black metal feel, a very scary dark atmosphere, and some drawn out, almost-doom vocals.
9) Wow. A 12-minute epic. Great. I approached this with some skepticism, but it turned to be very good. It keeps your attention for the most part, and it never really gets lost on any tangents (which is not to say it can’t, or shouldn’t, be edited down). The vocals on this one are excellent, damn near majestic in their sickness. The other thing worth noticing is that there is an almost-constant blast beat going on throughout the song. Also, the band finally learns about dynamics, with some slow, somewhat soft parts. Ends with a pointless sample, but at least it ends. Also, no solos, so that was a bummer.
Orges Beqiri 11-15-2003

Track Listing
1. Reduced to Ashes   5. Human Trophies
2. Infested Beneath the Earth   6. Banished
3. Avowed Depraved   7. Disinterred Archaic Heap
4. Empyrean   8. The Endurance