Sweden’s Wretched Fate is a new band formed by members of melodic death metal band Non Divine Sun, and their debut album, Fleshletting is the album that Bloodbath should have released last year.

Yep- I said it, heresy I know, but Fleshletting is a brutal, catchy and dynamic slab of Swedish styled death metal that you’d think a group of seasoned veterans would have delivered. With a guitar tone mixed and mastered by guitarist Mats Andersson ( who also performs all instruments in another unsigned project, Prosthetic), that’s a perfect burly buzzsaw churn and vocals from Adrian Selmai that could be Akerfedlt’s deep growls, this just give me a huge early Bloodbath vibe. Check out Second track “Only Death to Abide”, fourth track “Fear Expulsion” or “Writhe”. Amiright?

Of course other Swedish death metal royalty influences like Dismember, Grave and Entombed  are abound and even the Entrails-y blast and gallop of “Heading for  Beheading”, shows the band allowing newer influences to steer their sound. A couple of atmospheric monkish choirs appear here and there to add a little more character to the tried and tested sound as heard on “Altars of Misery” and “Fear Expulsion”.  They can also deliver the genre requisite crushing slow number effortlessly as heard on penultimate number “Epitaph”. Closer “Split Tongue II” has it all; the atmospherics, Swedeath gallops, the HM 2 wall of noise and massive lurches.

Fleshletting is one of the more impressive, complete and confident  debuts in the style I’ve heard since Entrails dropped Tales from the Morgue back in 2010, and despite some clear influences , has just enough quirk and character to not be a complete clone or rip off. As I said in my review of Supreme Carnage‘s Morbid Ways to Die, I’m digging what Ohio’s Redefining Darkness is doing of late with death metal (especially the HM-2 sound) with this, arguably the label’s best effort so far, the second effort from In Shadows and Dust,  Mutilated By Zombies, Inoculated Life, Skullcrush, Heretical Sect, Six of Swords and the upcoming sophomore effort from Nocturnal Hollow.

[Visit the band's website]

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