Skinless - Savagery

This came out back in May, but it somehow slipped through a hole in my fishing net until now. Savagery is the sixth studio album by Skinless, and one that kind of had some ground to make up before even being released. The band experienced a short break-up earlier this decade and returned in 2015 with their first record since 2006′s Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead. While Only the Ruthless Remain was certainly a serviceable death metal album, it didn’t really do enough to break Skinless’ mold aside from updating the production a bit. It felt more like a labored grinding away of the creative rust on the band’s gears than an explosive return to their craft. Savagery, on the other hand, is notably more thrilling and shows the band applying and displaying their extensive experience in the genre on a tight, vicious set of classically brutal death metal songs. While I’d say the middle of the album is probably where the album stacks its weakest moments, it’s still a pretty enjoyable listen for all forty minutes. And the album does start and end well; “Skull Session” is a particularly fast and groovy piece with a crunchy guitar driving it well, and the album ends on a similarly strong note with “Cruel Blade of the Guillotine” as one of the shining closing moments, even if the last song “High Rate Extinction” feels truncated. Skinless are not looking to redefine brutal death metal on this album or even reel in many outsiders, simply execute a musical routine of tightly choreographed savagery, and they certainly accomplish it here. Honestly, there is not a whole lot to say about Savagery, other than that its name certainly fits.

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