If you like your death metal to be of the punishingly doomy variety then look no further than German powerhouse Atomwinter’s second full length release Iron Flesh, a relentless and chaotic tour de force that will evoke the inner war monger in all who listen to it.
Hailing from the town of Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Atomwinter consists of four death metal maniacs who love to create the most harrowing blackened , doomy death possible. Fans of pioneering Swedish death acts are not going to be disappointed, as there are distinct Bloodbath and Entombed influences throughout the album. For those who like their death to be on the blackened side will also be delighted as Iron Flesh draws strong comparison’s to the greats Behemoth and Belphegor in places too. Basically, if you like your death metal to be intense, speedy and grim beyond all comparison then you’re in the right place.
Iron Flesh consists of nine bitesize chunks of no holds barred extreme metal. One of the top qualities to Iron Flesh is its constant persistent speed reigning strong throughout the album. Tracks such as MÖrser and title track Iron Flesh are powerful noise assaults with fantastic, chugging great riffs that give both tracks an almost anthemic quality. The vocal prowess of new vocalist Oliver Holzschneider is astounding, with thunderous, guttural vocals that steal the show on the album.
Atomwinter have also proved they’re more than capable of creating chilling, atmospheric metal too as well as sheer, speedy death on Iron Flesh. Track six Silencer is just under two minutes of slow, menacing delight. If you can imagine the sort of gloom that would be playing if someone was off to a public execution, then you pretty much get the idea of just how compelling Silencer is.
Iron Flesh is one hell of a listen. The album is a commanding and aggressive speeding frenzy peppered with dark and atmospheric noise. If you like your death metal to be of the blackened and traditional variety then you’ll be in for a treat with Iron Flesh. This is an album that stays true to the “there’s no school like the old school” homage and blast’s fantastic, high quality noise from start to finish. Ultimately, if you’re a fan of brilliant bands such as Asphyx, Bloodbath and Grave, then you’ll thoroughly enjoy Atomwinter’s latest offering, as just like them it’s 100% gnarly death metal,
(8/10 Eilish Foxen)
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