Unfleshing are a blackened crust band from the US and this is their debut album.
Violent Reason is a 25-minute snarling monstrosity of black metal, hardcore, crust, and grindcore. Unfleshing’s debut record is a beast.
Unfleshing are harsh and unforgiving, but within this they have a few tricks up their blackened sleeves. The music on Violent Reason blends chaotic hardcore, punishing crust, and feral grindcore, and then injects a hit of apocalyptic black metal that contributes a surprising amount of atmosphere and melody at key points throughout the album.
The vocalist has a gravelly voice that sounds like roaring death. The guitars are fuzzed up tar pits that swallow all light, while the drums pound away in the background with brutal finesse.
The songs range from brief bursts of frenzied aggression to longer bouts of violence. Apart from the intro, the shortest track is the 36-second Body Bag, which is pure grinding crusty mayhem. Longest cut Endless Nightmare offers a suffocating crust-powered assault until it drops away into eerie minimalism for a time, before reprising with a blackened atmospheric finale.
There is a focused murderous intent on Violent Reason that’s felt keenly, whether it’s in short or long form. My favourites are probably From the Gutter and Out with the Mud, but there are many top choices to be had.
Violent Reason is a solid and enjoyable debut album. With a few minor tweaks here and there, I can easily see Unfleshing having a bright future ahead of them.
Recommended for fans of bands such as Nails, Trap Them, Hexis, etc.
Wonderbox Metal 