Brood of Hatred – Skinless Agony (2014)

Pummeling their way from Tunisia via Norway’s Crime Records, today we have Brood of Hatred and their debut full-length “Skinless Agony”. Presenting nine tracks of complex Death Metal with some Progressive undertones, this band delivers 43 minutes of crushing music that is quite engaging and punishing. Filled with cool riffs and intricate song structures, this is one Death Metal release that you won’t want to miss.

Opening with the demoralizing “Deconstruction”, we get a level of brutality similar to Suffocation with a bigger emphasis on melody. This complex brutality bleeds out into tracks like “The Mind That Emerged” and “Technological Genocide”, both very solid and entertaining tracks that features heaps of playful riffs and demoralizing vocals. The band’s sound is quite compact and well crafted, and with the aid of a crystal clear production, “Skinless Agony” is one hell of a devastating release.

After a weird interlude with “The Singularity Is Near”, the band continues its onslaught with the album title track, and one of our favorite songs of the release. We can easily compare the band to a less acrobatic version of Obscura that focuses more on monster riffs with a slower and more incisive brutality. There are plenty of excellent technical pieces like on “Predestined Suicide”, where the band blends crushing bass guitars and technical Death-like riffs perfectly together.

The album’s crown jewel is the 9-minute epic “Obsession”, filled with intricate rhythms and Opeth-like atmospheric passages. Keeping the intensity until the last minute, “Disbelief Grows” produces a very improvisational closer that puts a nail on this excellent release. We are completely blown away by the quality behind “Skinless Agony”, and we can only hope that the scene pays attention to Brood of Hatred and their unique sonic devastation. If you like your Death Metal to be well crafted, technical, and smart, look no more and buy this release.

Label: Crime Records

Release: March 10th, 2014

Genre: Death Metal

Country: Tunisia