When I think of death metal bands that have a long and solid discography, and deserve much more recognition than they currently get, Blood Red Throne is the first band that comes to mind. While their music is nothing mind blowing, their brand of old school death metal that focuses on riffs and speed is something that all death metal fans should scope out. Their latest release, “Union of Flesh and Machine” is a perfect example of that. Opening with “Revocation of Mankind”, this track is a prime example of BRT at their best, showcasing the bands intense death metal combined with some really solid riffs. The guitars really shine on the next track, “Proselyte Virus”. This one is a bit slower, but still just as heavy, and the vocals here are very solid. “Patriotic Hatred” opens with a sound bite of someone speaking, as a very technical guitar riff leads into the song.
This is a very heavy and intense song, and easily one of the best on here. “Homicidal Ecstasy” continues the strong writing combined with sheer heaviness. This is followed up with “Martyrized”, which is a slower song that has a riff that really stands out. The title track, “Union of Flesh and Machine”, is up next, and keeps the pace a bit slower, and has very nice vocals. “Legacy of Greed” steps up the heaviness, and continues the great guitar work on this album. The heaviness carries over to “Exposed Mutation”, which picks up the speed, and features a nice range of vocals over some top notch writing. “Primal Recoil” opens up slowly, and isn’t quite as heavy as any of the previous songs, but still manages to be pretty damn heavy. Up next is a very solid cover of Judas Priest’s “Leather Rebel”, which the band turns into a solid death metal song. “Mary Whispers of Death” ends this album on a high note. Combining a very heavy intro with multiple great riffs, this song stands out as a very solid way to end he album. This is a very solid death metal album. This probably won’t change your world, but any fans of death metal should not sleep on this.
Overall Score: 9.0/10
Review by Sam Hookom
