There’s that saying about those two certainties in life, death and taxes. SKELETAL REMAINS releasing another solid slab of modern death metal should be the third. The American quintet have been bashing our skulls in musically since 2011 and they’ve never put a foot wrong. Not only have they released superb album after superb album, but you could argue that they’ve also improved on each one too. With their fifth full-length, Fragments Of The Ageless, the band impress once again but also refine their sound in the process.
Relentless Appetite is a strong starting point as it throws you straight into the fray. No slow building instrumental in sight, it’s headfirst into the riffs. It has a very memorable one too that’ll stick with you early on with its creeping and eerie nature. You’re then hit with the first of many solos on the record and you can tell that the guys aren’t messing around here as they shred with technical precision. There’s no slowing down heading into Cybernetic Harvest either. The jewel in the band’s crown is their ability to get heads banging and this track is home to some serious neck muscle-building moments. The same goes for the following single, To Conquer The Devout, which has some intense swagger to its riffs. The drumming is relentless as Pierce Williams shines on his debut for the band.
Vocal-wise, it’s your typical almost undecipherable death metal growls, but compared to their previous efforts it seems that Chris Monroy has managed to add a lot more weight to his voice, which is great considering how thick the production is on this thing. Just listen to the meaty intro to Verminous Embodiment and you can hear how their sound has been made to feel a lot chunkier than their previous records. It adds to the overall brutality on display here.
The band wouldn’t consider themselves to be tech death anymore, but you can hear the influence of that genre still lingering within the tracks. Instead of focusing on making a single track more technical sounding, they have managed to incorporate elements of technicality into the more memorable and melodic moments. This in turn makes Fragments Of The Ageless a lot more interesting than what has come before. There’s a slight respite with the instrumental intro Ceremony Of Impiety that leads into the crushing Void Of Despair, which is very much needed after being pummelled for the first half of the album. It doesn’t feel unnecessary or tacked on either. The band wear their influences on their sleeves and aren’t ashamed of channelling their predecessors – fans of MORBID ANGEL especially will feel like this album is a love letter to their beloved scene gods.
Towards the end of the tracklist we’re greeted with the menacing Unmerciful, a track that pushes just past the seven-minute mark, but surprisingly never feels like it drags on. It somehow seems to fly by faster than some of their under-five-minute efforts. The solos in this track scream Chuck Schuldiner but still manage to have that modern-day flair, mainly thanks to the polished production. The album ends interestingly with an instrumental track, with the first portion allowing bassist Brian Rush to shine. Mike De La O and Chris Monroy hit the listener with one last dual guitar attack as the album fades into the distance and it’s at this point you should go back and give it another listen as it’s an album that will slowly grow on you with multiple playthroughs.
SKELETAL REMAINS are the death metal equivalent of the Ford Focus. They are generally reliable and likeable but don’t stand out from the pack. They get the job done really but don’t light a fire under you quite like they should with the talent they possess. Could this be because of the high standards set by the bands they’re striving to be like? Perhaps. That being said, Fragments Of The Ageless is a brilliant album and lovers of the modern death metal scene will eat this up. The musicianship is on point, and the band are very skilled at their craft. It’ll be interesting to see where they go from here.
Rating: 8/10
Fragments Of The Ageless is set for release on March 8th via Century Media Records.
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