Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Undeath - Lesions of a Different Kind (2020)

If variety is the spice of life then how do the wise ones of the world explain the quality of bands like Undeath?  I mean there's literally no "spice" here, at least none that haven't been used before in decades of death metal recipes for sure, yet the palate can't help but be satiated by the familiarity of what it gets on Lesions of a Different Kind.  I think the success of the album (which is limited I grant you) is largely down to both the effort and ability of these guys.  Although it's not difficult to spot all the Cannibal Corpse, Incantation, Immolation and Finnish dm overtones of the record there's more to the album than just old-school worship.  This be death metal done by some of its most learned students.  In short they know their shit when it comes to death metal.

Not reinventing the wheel but doing that non-reinvention really fucking well is enough to ensure that the pressure of delivering something fresh into a genre that has seen it all is removed and there's a real feel on this record that the guys are having an absolute blast as a result.  They approach the delivery of the record with an assuredness that would have you think that they have been playing these songs for years. Tracks flow brilliantly into one another, with subtle changes of pace and tempo deployed so smoothly that you feel relaxed by how well it all fits together.

I can't pretend it will be played hundreds of times during my remaining years on this mortal coil but it certainly does an excellent job of reminding me of all the good reasons of why I got into death metal in the first place. Check out those shifting riffs towards the end of Acidic Twilight Visions for some nasty, shiver-inducing chills down your spine (and then note how the same sound is there during the initial part of next track, Lord of the Grave) like the more horrific moments of  Morbid Angel.  If this album serves no further purpose than to give you impetus to go and throw on Close to a World Below then it's a rip-roaring success.  On the flip-side, it holds its own against most of the stuff that influences the sound it celebrates.  Sneak this into a radio playlist alongside the 90's most familiar purveyors of death metal and the uneducated struggle to realise it is not from the hey day of death metal.

P.S. that artwork is awful, the drummer did it but don't worry, he's much better at drumming.