Bound In Human Flesh - Sick Lust For Revenge
2005 Baphomet Records

Track Listing:
1.  Becoming The Serpent
2.  Justified Terrorist
3.  Bound In Human Flesh
4.  Decapitate
5.  The Apocalypse
6.  Dark One
7.  Covered In Blood
8.  Feel The Pain Of Death
9.  Onslaught Under Tyranny
10. Horror
11. Possessed By Psychopaths
12. Epidermologue

Line-Up:
Vocals:  Rick Daigle
Guitars:  Jamie Vautour
Bass:  Jamie Vautour
Drum Programming:  Jamie Vautour
Guitar Solo on "Covered In Blood":  Rick Daigle
Bass on "Possessed By Psychopaths":  Jason Vautour

Website:  www.boundinhumanflesh.com

Shev's Rating:  A
Overall Rating:  A

Also be sure to read:
Obscene Eulogy - A Portal Into Fire by Shev
Obscene Eulogy - Defining Hate:  The Truth Undead by Shev

Shev's Review:
Jamie from Obscene Eulogy got in touch with me and asked if I would be interested in hearing his two man project consisting of him and Rick Daigle from Fleshwound.  Being the huge fan of Obscene Eulogy that I am, I quickly agreed and the CD arrived shortly thereafter.  Upon first examining the CD, I couldn't help but think this was some kind of nu-metal/metalcore project based on the cover and style of logo.  Luckily I was dead wrong as these two guys from New Brunswick, Canada absolutely steamroll everything in their path with their own interpretation of minimalistic death metal with black metal undertones (mainly dominant in the vocals).  On top of this, they also throw in a good dose of technically advanced thrash which eliminated their needs of constant blast beats found in way too many death/black acts these days.

After the first listen I just kind of tried to let it sink in as background music so it came across as a bit undercooked.  Upon closer inspection, this is simply littered with outstanding, memorable riff after outstanding, memorable riff.  No real flashy guitar solo's, no keyboards (mostly, that is), no female backing vocals, and absolutely no nonsense.  Sick Lust For Revenge consists of twelve blistering tracks...the first ten being an all out chaotic battlefield with the last two dragging the dead into shallow graves.

Interestingly enough, the last two songs on the album are instrumentals.  Well...mostly.  There are some general growls and screams in the epic "Possessed By Psychopaths", but they really don't amount to anything much like the accompanying keyboards in the same song...just a little atmosphere on what is a very dark, doom-inspired song.  "Epidermologue", on the other hand, is completely acoustic and lacking percussion.  In all honesty, it sounds like a distant relative to the creepy Town Music in the Diablo video games.

So the biggest complaint from everybody is probably going to be the use of the drum machine (although they do use an actual drummer when playing live).  Much like the Obscene Eulogy albums, the drum machine really isn't that bad.  It brings the black metal element closer to the front with it's perfectly cold timing, and doesn't really get in the way or sound cheesy except for the occasional and brief fill.  While there are armies of people that can't appreciate drum machines done right (usually the same people that don't blink an eye at a drum kit all triggered to shit), my biggest complaint...if you can call it that...is the lack of dominant bass.  While I understand that this is some really raw, pulverizing material that would normally play the bass right behind the guitars to just add another deep level, they stray from this technique on the songs "Decapitated" and "Possessed By Psychopaths".  Two of the best songs on the album.  The use of straying bass comes in handy and adds a little distinction.

Other than that, Rick Daigle does a stellar job with his black-riddled vocals (not to mention guitar solo).  The lyrics won't be winning any awards, but seems to be effective through a solid use of timing.  The inside booklet features a black background with tiny red print, so unless you're in some good lighting, reading along with the music is a bit of a chore anyway.  From soup to nuts this is a fantastic release with the highlights being the already mentioned "Decapitated" and "Possessed By Psychopaths" along with "The Apocalypse" and "Under The Onslaught Of Tyranny".  Fans of solid death metal mixed with the rawness of black metal will surely appreciate this.
Shev's Rating:  A