Czechia’s Cutterred Flesh are a new band on my radar, thanks to Transcending Obscurity. This is their fifth full length and the first time I’ve heard them. They’re classified as brutal death metal, and that fits. If you’re on board with Aborted or Benighted, this is certainly going to be right up your alley.

There are many bands who perform this style, but what really makes a band in this brutal death metal genre stand out is, unsurprisingly, songs. Memorability is not easy to attain when the music rarely lets off the gas. However, Cutterred Flesh avoid this pitfall with some great tracks, excellent production, and lyrics which sometimes either make me chuckle or make me question what I just heard.

As usual for this style of brutal death metal, it doesn’t take long for the album to get going. No intro, no ambience to set the mood, just immediate blasting. After the initial onslaught, Cutterred Flesh do settle into a plodding groove. Some dissonant picking breaks it up a little bit. The vocals are vicious, guttural, and mixed to the fore. While there was no ambience in the intro, the boys do add a little at the end just before an all too brief guitar solo, which also leads back into a shorter version of the hook. This is a cool opener.

The next one, “Black Aurora,” is certainly one of the longer tracks on the album, relatively speaking. One could be mistaken at first for thinking this is a new Aborted track if it weren’t for the difference in the vocal delivery. Yes, the low growls are layered with the highs in parts, not unlike the previously mentioned band, but that’s where the similarity ends in the vocal department. Although this track is a little longer than its predecessor, the persistent groove almost makes it feel shorter.

Moving on through the album, if you’re looking for some visual accompaniment, track 4, “Good Boy – Romantic Relationship with Necrotic Tissue,” has an interesting video. It’s a quick blast of in-your-face brutal death metal, relying a lot on the grindcore side, with some excellent, meaty vocal hooks. What stands out to me is the drum performance, and perhaps the visual aspect adds to this, but it’s worth checking out for the hand speed on those blasts.

My favorite track here is “Amused by the Tenacity of a Dying Whore.” While I don’t have a lyric sheet, what lyrics I have been able to discern are well worth the price of admission, as long as you’re into a very old school, brutal death metal aesthetic. There’s also a melodic guitar lead section which crawls its way through the brutality. You’ll probably find yourself humming it afterwards as it is probably the catchiest section on the album.

Bringing up the end of this monster is the closing track, and from what I’ve read online, a “bonus” song, called “Progressive Body Adjustment.” I have several offensive jokes I could probably make here, but let’s stick to the music. This might be a good time to mention, for those who haven’t checked out the album yet, the production here stands out as you can hear every instrument, including the bass. It would be rare for an album coming out on Transcending Obscurity to have poor production, and this definitely doesn’t buck that trend. Brutal, low vocals dominate here. For the record, Jirka’s vocals overall are some of the best in the genre. His lows make it sound and feel like you’re right next to him.

This smashes everything in its path. It smokes. If you’re into the brutal death metal genre, specifically regarding the likes of the main, popular bands listed in this review, Sharing is Caring will come highly recommended. It’s a quick, fun ride, completely devoid of pretension, and I’ve been listening to it pretty frequently. That coffin box CD can’t come soon enough.

[Visit the band's website]

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