For two decades, in mean time, Deeds Of Flesh are standard for massive, brain-splattering Death madness, and this through eight full lengths that all of them have been received with open arms (and banging heads!): Gradually Melted (re-released in 1998 via Repulse Records, the very same label that released both next albums too), Trading Pieces, Inbreeding The Anthropophagi (with guest vocals by Disgorge’s Matti Way), (and from now on via the band’s own record label Unique Leader:) Path Of The Weakening (which brought some new ‘darkness’ to the band’s recognizable sound), Mark Of The Legion (followed by an intensive touring schedule in both North and South America), Reduced To Ashes (followed soon after by a live-DVD, called Live In Montreal), Crown For Souls, and Of What’s To Come, which featured Erlend Caspersen (think: Dismal Euphony, Blood Red Throne, Vile, The Allseeing I, etc.). Then things went silent for quite a while, but the band, now consisting of only remaining original member Erik Lindmark (g, v), ex-Arkaik guitarist Craig Peters, who’s new in the band, drummer Mike Hamilton (known from e.g. Vile and Exhumed), and another newcomer, experienced bass player Ivan Munguia (think: Insanity, Brain Drill, Odious Mortem, Arkaik, Carnivorous and many more), has now resurrected with their ninth studio full length, which has a total running time of forty two minutes.
As a matter of fact, Portals Of Canaan isn’t that differing from the latest Deeds Of Flesh-efforts. The album brings a powerful, technically high-skilled, timeless-sounding, grinding and beastly-structural form of Death Metal with lots of unusual structures, breaks and hooks, progressive high-tech outbursts, and traditional brutality and morbidity. The songs are close to over-the-top, yet without pathetic exaggeration, but for sure un-easy to digest, certainly on an empty stomach (or when having a hangover). But no matter how you turn it, this specific technically-skilled and persuasive craftsmanship goes way beyond average - I can sum up tens of bands that want to sound like, but won’t (ever) achieve to do so.
What strikes me a lot, is the furtherly-elaborated expression of obscurity in both sound and song structure; not only lyrically, but when focussing on sound and performance too, the abyssal approach seems much more deepened than ever before (cf. Of What’s To Come).
Ear-food for fans of everything in between Atheist, Decrepit Birth, Morbid Angel, Exhumed, Suffocation and Gorguts (whom the band did a cover of, Orphans Of Sickness).
My appreciation goes too to the industrialised and/or ambiental pieces on the album, for bringing a sublime counterpart. Believe me, for I’m not kidding this time.