Just when I thought Just Before Dawn was the pinnacle of WW2 themed, Bolt Thrower and Hail of Bullets worshiping death metal, along comes Sweden’s Creeping Flesh  and their compilation of demos and EPs to deliver a salvo of impressive tracks that do all the the bands above justice.

While not having the big names or super group tag like Just Before Dawn or Hail of Bullets, these guys have a complete  and total grasp of the sound, with some of the best trundling, chugging, mid paced militant war mongering riffs I’ve heard recently.

Comprised of the band’s Unravelled By War (3 songs)and Rising Terror EPs (5 songs)  from 2014/2015 and the Scorched demo (3 songs) from 2016, in chronological order, the 11 song, 51 minute compilation is well worth the money, even more so when you consider how great some of these tunes are. There is a very slight fluctuation between the 3 releases as far as tone and production, but its barely noticeable and comes across like a complete full length album to the untrained ear.

Early on, “Unravelled By War” (with a sick mid song groove) and “Lashed to the Walls of Hell” bring the thunderous lope but the tracks that grabbed my attention the most and seemed to have the best sound are the 5 songs from the Rising Terror EP. With the unmistakably Bolt Thrower ode of “Airborne”, the killer opening chug of “Essence of Evil” and moody, militant march that ends “Fields of Rotting Flesh”, three of the releases better tracks, the album’s mid section is a real neck snapper.

The three tracks from 2016s Scorched demo are the newest songs, and ups the Bolt Thrower tones, especially some of the somber lead work heard on “Scorched” and fitting closer “Forever Onwards”  “Trench Apostasy” adds a melo-death canter mid song, showing the band’s  arsenal is growing and I cant wait to here the next salvo.

[Visit the band's website]

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