DEFLESHED — Reclaim the Beat (review)

DEFLESHED — Reclaim the Beat album cover

Album · 2005 · Thrash Metal

4/5 · 2011-08-15
UMUR

"Reclaim the Beat" is the 5th full-length studio album by Swedish death/ thrash act Defleshed. The album was released in March 2005 by Regain Records. For now it´s the final release by the band as it was announched in November 2005 that Defleshed had split-up.

If you are familiar with Defleshed it should come as no surprise that they continue their aggressive death/ thrash onslaught on "Reclaim the Beat" almost like nothing has happened since the release of "Royal Straight Flesh (2002)". Well... actually since "Fast Forward (1999)", as the style of music Defleshed play on "Reclaim the Beat" is very similar to the style featured on those two releases. It´s high speed death/ thrash with fiercely aggressive vocals and tight precision playing.I´d like to reference the band´s own description of their music using a quote from the booklet: "Defleshed is a non-religious and non-political courier of high-octanic metal mayhem. Enjoy the Madness !".

All tracks are pretty short (the average length is about 2:40 minutes) and to the point and I would be lying if I said there is much variation to be found. It´s very seldom the band play heavier mid-paced sections, so the tempo mostly varies from fast to the trademark rotor blade/ machine gun blasting that drummer Matte Modin executes to perfection. All tracks are characterized by an energetic performance and an aggressive attitude you´ll seldom come across this convincing. The quality of the tracks is consistent throughout, but because the tracks don´t vary much from each other it´s also a bit hard to point out highlights. But tracks like "Stripped to the Bone", "Bulldozed (Back to Basic)", "Grind and Rewind" and the Mötley Crue cover "Red Hot" (which is the track that stands out the most from the rest) are definitely among the more standout tracks on "Reclaim the Beat". The lyrics are delivered in the trademark tongue in cheek fashion which song-titles like "Under Destruction" and "May the Flesh Be With You" bear witness to.

The sound production on "Reclaim the Beat" needs a special mention. The sound is very powerful and especially the drums have a very distinct sound. The distorted bass sound is also greatly enjoyable and adds another dimension to the soundscape.

Personally I think it´s sad that "Reclaim the Beat" is the final release by Defleshed. I greatly enjoy their extremely energetic and aggressive take on death/ thrash. But if it has to be that way at least "Reclaim the Beat" sees them go out with a bang. I don´t think any of Defleshed releases are flawless, and "Reclaim the Beat" doesn´t change the fact that most Defleshed tracks sound a bit too much the same, but when that is said, you´ll be hard pressed to find another act like Defleshed, who consistently has released quality death/ thrash albums with ballsy "fuck You" attitude, tongue in cheek humour and an unrivalled fircely aggressive energy level. In other words the convincing way they deliver their music fully make up for the fact that their material isn´t especially varied. "Reclaim the Beat" fully deserves a 4 - 4.5 star rating.