Skinless
From Sacrifice To Survival

At the dawn of the release of the new album by this American quartet, here is their last effort dated 2003, a release that represents one of my most bitter disappointments in the musical field.

Released just two years after the masterpiece "Foreshadowing Our Demise," it represents a sudden and decisive shift in Skinless's production (which I sincerely hope concludes here). Despite their contract with the notable label "Relapse Records," the band had accustomed their audience to a certain type of Brutal Death metal, dark, oppressive, and sincerely suffocating, a style no one else had attempted to replicate: the mood of their previous two works was absolutely indescribable in its weight and ability to completely annihilate the listener. When I ordered this album in July 2003, I had high hopes, believing it would give me (or rather, take from me) new energy and satiate my hunger for violent atmospheres and resigned despair.
But it didn't go that way; despite listening to it for months in the hope of finding something similar, even a single detail: intoxicated by fame, Skinless wanted to open their music to a broader audience, but in doing so, they lost much of their original fan base. Their offering on this CD becomes much more accessible and requires significantly less emotional commitment: while some might view it as an attempt at maturation, others (myself included) see it as an unforgivable abjuration.

The lineup sees behind the drums the departure of Bob "The Big Guns" Beaulac in favor of the young John Longstreth, ex-Origin and Exhumed: I remember thinking at the time that this was already a concern since, in the previous work, I had fallen deeply in love with the very distinctive drumming of the late Bob (who fortunately is now back in the fold). Longstreth, perhaps more technical than his predecessor, demonstrates a coldness and sterility that perplex anyone who remembers the numbers and brilliant ideas of past records. Nothing to criticize, a flawless drummer, very precise and very capable, but too static and unable to express true feelings: drummers like him, lacking inventiveness and tied to the Death Metal tradition, are "plentiful or even more".
The guitarist once again proves to be a great performer and knows how to write truly complex, powerful, and personal compositions: perhaps the only one to pass the test with flying colors, the only one who attempts to give back to listeners some of what they had created before, but unfortunately, it is not enough.
The bassist, who made his presence felt on the previous album (and how!!!), is not heard at all and is only used to fill the gaps of a sound that is overall not full: fault of the production by Neil Kernon (overseer of recordings for important groups in the sector), which does little justice to both the drums and the voice, creating a detached and uncompressed sound that contributes significantly to the album's "shallowness" and makes the album insignificant.
The vocals then, are a stab in the back: it’s astonishing to hear one of the best growlers in the Death scene (without exaggeration) indulging in rare but dreadful Clean Vocals. His growling has lost its edge, perhaps the first signal of his departure from the band (his place is now taken by the bassist's brother). The lyrics, like the mood, seem to want to retract what was said and done in the past: although they are pessimistic visions of the world and its imminent ruin, they seem devoid of the substantial, apocalyptic satisfaction of reacting to the degradation created by men with hatred towards them and the sole solace of death ("In death we are free… at last!" recited the immense "Smothered").

However, I don't want my critique, born out of personal rancor, to be misleading and tendentious: the genre offered is a fairly traditional Brutal Death but endowed with a certain personality. The nine songs are structured and refined with great attention to detail and are undoubtedly more listenable and "lighter" than those of the past: the instrumentalists demonstrate great technique, managing to perform even decidedly difficult passages. The four show a greater openness and the intention to embark on a new path: but what's missing is that surge of emotion and passion that made the previous CDs great. Paradoxically, the most successful episode is, in my opinion, the instrumental "A False Sense Of Security," where the millenarianism of the New Yorkers can still be felt.

If I had to rely on what I feel, I would give it the lowest ratings, but, in respect of objectivity, I cannot: "From Sacrifice To Survival" is a good album that spins in the stereo for a couple of months, but over time it leaves nothing and is destined to gather dust. It may appeal to Death metal fans but not to fans of 'Skinless'.