Two years after the release of SFU’s third covers album, the band returns with a brand new original effort and some pretty major line-up changes. Gone are Terry Butler and drummer Greg Gall – both stalwarts for the entirety of the band’s recorded output thus far. Aside from the departure of Allen West and his ‘Obituary tone’ well over a decade ago, nothing much had changed in regard to either the band members or their music. Certainly this formulaic approach has pleased some over the years, although it has also attracted equally as much criticism – particularly from the more ‘die-hard’ death metal devotees. Maybe things are about to turn around for SFU in respect to this latter crowd, however. Ushering in the new era is ‘Undead’, whose cover alone suggests a move full-circle from the band with obscure, dark artwork and the very same orange font used on 1995’s debut, ‘Haunted’. Aspects of the new line-up are similarly sure to arouse some interest. A completely new rhythm section has been assembled by Chris Barnes and Steve Swanson, consisting of: bassist, Jeff Hughell (ex-Vile); Kevin Talley on drums (ex-Dying Fetus); with the addition – for the first time in their career – of a second guitarist, Rob Arnold (ex-Chimaira).

The most notable feature of this line-up change for any death metaller is undoubtedly the presence of Talley – a death metal drumming legend. Surely the entire dynamic of SFU’s plodding brontosaurus death metal would change with this man alone, wouldn’t it? The answer is an unequivocal ‘yes’. ‘Frozen at the Moment of Death’ kicks things off, with a couple of grinding riffs, pinch harmonics and some of Talley’s trademark tight double bass. As if it wasn’t already sounding more technical than anything SFU has done before, things really get going a few seconds in: blasting(!), fast, dynamic riffs and Barnes’ sub-sonic brutality. His vocals being accompanied by the quickest, most complex and menacing music he has been involved with since ‘The Bleeding’ can only be a good thing. Throughout the first four tracks, it is clear that the inclusion of the three new members has injected energy and purpose into this band. Rob Arnold must also receive a particular mention for the evident effect that his guitar playing has had. ‘Formaldehyde’ – perhaps understandably – contains traces of Dying Fetus, hinged on a typically slower SFU riff; ’18 Days’ arrives with eerie opening riffs reminiscent of ‘Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead’ before morphing into another alternating brutal, haunting chugfest. There are sounds and tempo changes which, some months ago, few people could’ve believed SFU would be incorporating.

At just before the halfway point, a slight lull occurs in the form of ‘Blood on my Hands’ (which isn’t a Morbid Angel cover) and ‘Missing Victims’. Both tracks are fairly plodding, and whilst it is  arguable that a slowing down is well-timed following the pacey start, for my money there’s enough variation and breakdowns in the early tracks to negate the momentum being killed off by these two. ‘Reckless’ and ‘Near Death Experience’ re-inject a bit more momentum into the album before one of the highlights – ‘Delayed Combustion Device’. On this particular song, Barnes’ approach to vocal delivery reminded me at one point of his sinister work on ‘She was Asking for it’ (“Come to me / COME TO ME!”).An awesome pounding riff drives this one along with some truly frantic flashes. The next couple of tracks go by with the odd big groove and pig squeal before leading into the final composition, and another of the highlights, ‘The Depths of Depravity’. This time bearing the same title as a Suffocation track, the album closer possesses far more to justify its namesake than track five did. A haunting atmosphere of guitar and cymbals starts the madness before a full on zombie-caveman lurch is initiated. Following this, yet more speedy riffs and blastbeats. By the end of the album, I’m still reminding myself that this is actually SFU.

As divisive a character as Barnes has unwittingly become (accusations of “pothead”, “ruiner of death metal!”), he has maintained and renewed his band in the face of the detractors; staying consistent with what he wants to do with it. On balance, ‘Undead’ is a highly enjoyable death metal album; one into which the entire band has clearly put a lot of effort. Despite a slight lag towards the middle, it flows really well and is stylistically the closest thing to his old band that we have ever heard. Once again, it comes down to the inclusion of too many tracks and – especially in SFU’s case – writing a couple of throwaway tunes. Otherwise, for anyone who enjoys what this band has done in the past, ‘Undead’ is a welcome twist on the old formula, and an album well worth checking out. More of this, and SFU’s future is looking very far from dead.

(8/10 Jamie Wilson)

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