Mass Infection – Shadows Became Flesh

Band: Mass Infection
Title: Shadows Became Flesh
Label: Comatose Music
Release date: 7th December 2018
Country: Greece
Format reviewed: Digital Promo

Everybody knows that Yetis love death metal! So when given the opportunity to listen to some new material from MASS INFECTION, I was instantly intrigued and eager to bite in. “Shadows Became Flesh” is the 4th full album from the Greek death metallers and it’s a hell of a follow up to their last few releases. When I review an album, the first thing I do is take a look at the cover art in order to paint a picture in my head as I listen. First impressions are important, and this cover painted ideas of demonic conjuring and the dark summonings. “Shadows Became Flesh” offers a mix of pure death metal and some nice blackened elements featuring a few insidiously brutal riffs and a relentless drum chorus of blast beats.

“Ominous Prevision” starts things off and works well to set the tone of the album utilizing a darker and slower than expected guitar progression which quickly mutates into the volatile and brutal death metal needed to complete the ritual apparently at hand. The next several songs on the album continue the assault of fast paced drumming and offer several moments of attention-catching guitar riffs amongst the shred. Each song offers its own unique brutal piece to the ritual, with each guitar solo and sinister breakdown being unique enough to set each song apart from the rest while also giving the listener something to come back for.

“Shadows Became Flesh” hits its full stride just over halfway through the album, with “At One with Demons” opening up with another undulating death metal riff and barrage of blast beats and a mixup of technical drumming. It was at this point I felt like the ritual at hand was in its final moments and the conjuration was almost complete. The album ends with the title track, which delivers a climax of brutality successfully built throughout the album. While the song shreds from the second the it starts, it soon transitions into a dark and entropic moment which works well in tying the entire album together. The ending moments conjure a creative and dark guitar solo leading the listener towards the brink of darkness and the abyss before dropping off.

“Shadows Became Flesh” is death metal done right and would be a good choice for any fan of Incantation, Nile, or Hour of Penance. I enjoyed the themes of the album with the cover art adding a lot to the dark imagery the songs created throughout the album. The vocals offer nothing special but more importantly, they are well executed and keep the dark atmosphere of the album consistent. As mentioned before the drumming throughout this album is absolutely relentless but at the same time a bit repetitive, and it’s because of that it does not contend with the demonic guitar shredding in a fight for dominance. My favorite track on the album is the final and title track simply for the unique final guitar solo that sets it apart from the rest of the album. Overall this is high quality and conceptually interesting death metal album with a cool dark element that is sure to please many metalheads across the death metal spectrum. 7/10 Metal Yeti

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