I was lucky enough to review “Black and Blood”, Soul Remnants second album a long while ago. It was a total blast and a fine balance between classic old school thrashing death metal and more modern technical DM.  So when this, their third album came up I grabbed it sharpish.

Hailing from Boston, Soul Remnants have been flying under the radar of most death metal fans since 2003 which is a shame as they truly kick arse, have a distinctive sound and really stand out among a lot of the meat & potatoes DM bands that have a higher profile.

“Ouroboros” expands upon the groundwork of their last album. The thrashy death metal is still there but they’ve added a fair bit of overall groove and even a touch of prog to their arsenal.

Opener “Mechanical Synapse Modulation” kicks things off bigly with Mitch Fletcher letting off an unholy roar before this total thrasher descends the helter skelter. This is 2m20s long and there’s a lot happening. It reminds me a bit of Metallica’s “Fight Fire With Fire” with its staccato vocal lines and there’s a really killer solo towards the end too. A perfect opener that leaves you thinking “what the fuck was that?” and eager to hear more.

The album has a slim 37 minute or so run-time and not a note is wasted. The lads get in, shred like fuck and get out again sharpish. There’s a good smattering of variety too. “Depravity’s Lock” slows things down a tad…..only a tad mind you. “Mental Tourniquet” has a tasty groove laden main riff. “Walled City” and  “Dissolving Into Obscurity” heavily nod towards Iron Maiden with some beautiful twin lead work from Tom Preziosi and Chad Fisher plus some very inventive drumming by Colin Conway and these two songs hint at Soul Remnants exploring some more progressive territory and a further development of their already belting sonic assault.

“Ouroboros”, while not as much of a smack in the face as its predecessor, “Black and Blood” is a more complete album and overall a touch more satisfying. It’s about time Soul Remnants got some more exposure, they really deserve it and this is without doubt the record to take them to the next level.

(8.5/10 Mark Eve)

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