UMUR
Fast Forward is the 3rd full-length studio album by brutal Swedish death/ thrash act Defleshed. The album was originally released in February 1999 by WAR music for the European market. It was released by a couple of other labels other places in the world. Regain Records re-issued the album in 2002 with 4 bonus tracks.
The music on the album is fiercely aggressive and brutal death/ thrash. The vocals are growling/ raspy and the tempo on the album is generally very fast-paced and frantic in nature. The album is as such very one-dimensional and there´s little variation within and between songs. This would usually be something that I would complain about, but on Fast Forward I don´t consider the lack of variation to be a problem. Maybe it´s because the album is only 29:58 minutes long, which seems to be the perfect length for an album like this. The quality of the songs is really great and it´s the kind of music that it´s impossible to sit still while listening to. I can vividly imagine a little "Good Friendly Violence" in a moshpit while Defleshed played on the stage. The music is so intense and violent in nature that when Fast Forward is finished I´m exhausted ( in a good relaxed way). The tongue in cheek humour that the band displayed on the two preceeding albums, is also present here. I guess songtitles like The Return of the Flesh, The Iron and the Maiden, Lightning Strikes Thrice and Feeding Fatal Fairies tell their own story of a band that don´t take themselves too seriously. At the same time their musical exploits leave no doubt that they are here to kick some ass. And that they do.
The production is raw and powerful. The sound brings out the best in the music.
Fast Forward is actually not much different from Under the Blade (1997), which has a very similar sound, but it´s the quality and memorability of the material that sets the two albums apart. Fast Forward is a much better album in every way possible and fully deserves a 4 star rating. Just remember not to expect much variation. Expect pure sonic violence and your expectations are sure to be met.