Soul Remnants – I confess to being a bit ignorant of this Massachusetts 5 piece so when the CD landed on my mat I wasn’t sure what to expect…… what I didn’t expect was this absolute stonker of a record. In a nutshell this is a non-stop barrage of well-produced, incredibly intense death metal with elements of black metal and grind that should be on the Xmas list of every fan of extreme metal.
Soul Remnants were formed in 2003 but didn’t release their debut album ‘Plague Of The Universe’ until 2009. This follow up is chock full of absolutely killer tracks. “Dead Black (Heart of Ice)” has a raging black metal vibe at Its heart and “No Afterlife” is a modern thrashy / death song that brings to mind modern Carcass.
It’s almost impossible to pin Soul Remnants down to a specific genre, for me they remind most of early 90s death and grind pioneered by Napalm Death & Morbid Angel. There’s a lot of complexity to the songs and the brilliantly clear production ensures that you miss none of it.
Soul Remnants are a fine balance between the old and new, with ripping, well thought out solos, an ultra-tight rhythm section and plenty of melodies to counter the sheer harsh brutality. There’s lots of technicality on display and even a non muso like myself can appreciate just how much effort has gone into the songwriting.
Vocally, Mitchell Fletcher has a guttural growl which fits the songs like a glove. My only criticism would be that he could maybe do with a more varied approach which would perhaps suit the music better but I’m just splitting hairs here.
Black and Blood is a quality album that you’ll find new depths to with every listen.
(9/10 Mark Eve)
17/12/2013 at 7:04 pm
really loving this album, from start to finish, a great release, thanks for the tip 🙂