Structures of Death
Encyclopedia
Structures Of Death is the eighth studio album
by the German
death metal
band Fleshcrawl
, which was released 21.September.2007 in Germany, Austria, Italy, and the Czech Republic, then released in the rest of Europe on 24.September.2007.http://www.fleshcrawl.de It is their first album to feature bassist
Nico Scheffler, who joined in 2005 to replace Tobias Schickhttp://www.metalstorm.ee/bands/band.php?band_id=1415, and was their first album not recorded in Sweden
http://www.lordsofmetal.nl/showreview.php?id=10293&lang=en
Keeping consistent with their recent work (since As Blood Rains from the Sky...
), the band's unique sound is created through an amalgamation of melodic
guitar rhythmics built upon a foundation of very heavy, very familiar, highly brutal drumwork and vocals. Like other Melodic death metal
bands, such as Grave
, Arch Enemy and (early) Entombed
, Fleshcrawl's guitar work for this album is laden with Swedish death metal
-style distortion
, especially in the riff
ing, which remains comparable to their earlier releases in that it utilizes mid-to-high range tones and moderate-to-rapid tempos, accented by occasional, moderately-technical
guitar solo
s, which tend to be somewhat longer and more rhythm
ic than those in their earlier work.http://www.eclipsemagazine.ws/forum/viewtopic.php?t=756 Diverging from other contemporary melodic death metal releases, the overall intensity of the album is well enhanced by the use of brutal/technical death metal-style blast beats incorporated into highly prominent, yet not obtrusive, very rapid double-Bass
on the order of such bands as Kataklysm
and Krisiun
along with somewhat guttural, abrasive vocals, somewhat reminiscent of such bands as Six Feet Under
and Cannibal Corpse
.http://www.metal-revolution.com/plugins/content/content.php?content.971
Like other Fleshcrawl albums, and death metal
as a whole, the lyrical themes cover such gory
, death metal-esque subjects as insanity
(Structures of Death; Written In Blood), evisceration
(Into the Crypts of scattered Souls; Nothing But Flesh Remains), the Grim Reaper/Harvester of Souls
(Anthem of Death), demon
s/demonic possession
(Rest in Pain; A Spirit Dressed in Black), Mortality (About Mortality), and doomsday
/the apocalypse
(War of the Dead). However, unlike any of their earlier releases, this album includes several references to their earlier work. Track 4, Written in Blood, includes the lines, "Forever more the soulskinner is back," referencing to their sixth studio album, Soulskinner
, and track 6, Fleshcult, which describes the mindset of death metal and the experience of the band through their 20 year history through a collection of synecdochal
allusions to their previous work, including:
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band Fleshcrawl
Fleshcrawl
Fleshcrawl is a death metal band formed in 1987 in Illertissen, Bavaria, Germany. Their most recent album, Structures Of Death, was released in 2007, under Metal Blade Records.-1987-1997:...
, which was released 21.September.2007 in Germany, Austria, Italy, and the Czech Republic, then released in the rest of Europe on 24.September.2007.http://www.fleshcrawl.de It is their first album to feature bassist
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Nico Scheffler, who joined in 2005 to replace Tobias Schickhttp://www.metalstorm.ee/bands/band.php?band_id=1415, and was their first album not recorded in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
http://www.lordsofmetal.nl/showreview.php?id=10293&lang=en
Keeping consistent with their recent work (since As Blood Rains from the Sky...
As Blood Rains from the Sky, We Walk the Path of Endless Fire
As Blood Rains from the Sky... We Walk the Path of Endless Fire is the fifth studio album by the German death metal band Fleshcrawl.This album is highly typical of Fleshcrawl's mid-to-late career material, and resembles contemporary work by such melodic/Swedish death metal bands as Dismember,...
), the band's unique sound is created through an amalgamation of melodic
Melodic death metal
Melodic death metal is a heavy metal music style that combines elements from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with elements of death metal. The style was developed during the early and mid-1990s, primarily in England and Scandinavia...
guitar rhythmics built upon a foundation of very heavy, very familiar, highly brutal drumwork and vocals. Like other Melodic death metal
Melodic death metal
Melodic death metal is a heavy metal music style that combines elements from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with elements of death metal. The style was developed during the early and mid-1990s, primarily in England and Scandinavia...
bands, such as Grave
Grave (band)
Grave is a Swedish death metal band that formed in 1986 by vocalist and guitarist Ola Lindgren, who is their only constant member. The band had particular success in the early 1990s, and their first four albums, Into the Grave, You'll Never See..., Soulless and Hating Life, cemented their...
, Arch Enemy and (early) Entombed
Entombed (band)
Entombed is a Swedish death metal band which formed in 1987 under the name of Nihilist. Though Entombed began their career as an early pioneer of Scandinavian death metal which initially differed itself from its American counterpart with its distinct guitar tone, by the early 1990s their sound had...
, Fleshcrawl's guitar work for this album is laden with Swedish death metal
Scandinavian death metal
Swedish death metal is a death metal music scene developed in Sweden. Many Swedish death metal bands are associated with the melodic death metal movement, thus giving Swedish death metal a different sound from other variations of death metal. Unlike American death metal groups, the first Swedish...
-style distortion
Distortion (guitar)
Distortion effects create "warm", "dirty" and "fuzzy" sounds by compressing the peaks of a musical instrument's sound wave and adding overtones. The three principal types of distortion effects are overdrive, distortion and fuzz. Distortion effects are sometimes called “gain” effects, as distorted...
, especially in the riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
ing, which remains comparable to their earlier releases in that it utilizes mid-to-high range tones and moderate-to-rapid tempos, accented by occasional, moderately-technical
Technical death metal
Technical death metal is a musical subgenre of death metal that focuses on complex rhythms, riffs and song structures. Technical experimentation in death metal began in the late '80s and early '90s by bands such as Death, Atheist and Cynic...
guitar solo
Guitar solo
In popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
s, which tend to be somewhat longer and more rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
ic than those in their earlier work.http://www.eclipsemagazine.ws/forum/viewtopic.php?t=756 Diverging from other contemporary melodic death metal releases, the overall intensity of the album is well enhanced by the use of brutal/technical death metal-style blast beats incorporated into highly prominent, yet not obtrusive, very rapid double-Bass
Bass drum
Bass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
on the order of such bands as Kataklysm
Kataklysm
Kataklysm is a Canadian death metal band. They call their musical style "northern hyperblast" after an advertisement in M.E.A.T. magazine describing another band, Fear Factory, as "hyperblast". The term refers to the extremely fast blast beats that Kataklysm's drummer, Max Duhamel, fuses into the...
and Krisiun
Krisiun
Krisiun is a Brazilian death metal band, founded by Alex Camargo , Moyses Kolesne , and Max Kolesne . Since its formation, in 1990, the group recorded two demos, Evil Age in 1991, and Curse of the Evil One in 1992, and self-released an extended play titled Unmerciful Order in 1993...
along with somewhat guttural, abrasive vocals, somewhat reminiscent of such bands as Six Feet Under
Six Feet Under (band)
Six Feet Under is an American death metal band from Tampa, Florida, formed in 1993. The band was originally a side project by Cannibal Corpse vocalist Chris Barnes with guitarist Allen West of Obituary...
and Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band from Buffalo, New York. Formed in 1988, the band has released eleven studio albums, one box set, and one live album...
.http://www.metal-revolution.com/plugins/content/content.php?content.971
Like other Fleshcrawl albums, and death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
as a whole, the lyrical themes cover such gory
Graphic violence
Graphic violence is the depiction of especially vivid, brutal and realistic acts of violence in visual media such as literature, film, television, and video games...
, death metal-esque subjects as insanity
Insanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
(Structures of Death; Written In Blood), evisceration
Disembowelment
Disembowelment is the removal of some or all of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract , usually through a horizontal incision made across the abdominal area. Disembowelment may result from an accident, but has also been used as a method of torture and execution...
(Into the Crypts of scattered Souls; Nothing But Flesh Remains), the Grim Reaper/Harvester of Souls
Death (personification)
The concept of death as a sentient entity has existed in many societies since the beginning of history. In English, Death is often given the name Grim Reaper and, from the 15th century onwards, came to be shown as a skeletal figure carrying a large scythe and clothed in a black cloak with a hood...
(Anthem of Death), demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
s/demonic possession
Demonic possession
Demonic possession is held by many belief systems to be the control of an individual by a malevolent supernatural being. Descriptions of demonic possessions often include erased memories or personalities, convulsions, “fits” and fainting as if one were dying...
(Rest in Pain; A Spirit Dressed in Black), Mortality (About Mortality), and doomsday
Eschatology
Eschatology is a part of theology, philosophy, and futurology concerned with what are believed to be the final events in history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world or the World to Come...
/the apocalypse
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
(War of the Dead). However, unlike any of their earlier releases, this album includes several references to their earlier work. Track 4, Written in Blood, includes the lines, "Forever more the soulskinner is back," referencing to their sixth studio album, Soulskinner
Soulskinner
Soulskinner is the sixth studio album by the German death metal band Fleshcrawl.-Track listing:# "Soulskinner"# "Dying Blood"# "Carved In Flesh"# "Breeding The Dead"# "The Forthcoming End"# "Deathvastation"# "Legions Of Hatred"# "Forced To Kill"...
, and track 6, Fleshcult, which describes the mindset of death metal and the experience of the band through their 20 year history through a collection of synecdochal
Synecdoche
Synecdoche , meaning "simultaneous understanding") is a figure of speech in which a term is used in one of the following ways:* Part of something is used to refer to the whole thing , or...
allusions to their previous work, including:
- From the Dead to the Living and Center of Hate from ImpurityImpurity (Fleshcrawl album)Impurity is the second studio album by the German death metal band Fleshcrawl. It was their first album to feature guitarist Mike Hanus, brother of founding member Stefan Hanus and it is the only Fleshcrawl album thus far that does not bear the "carved-in-flesh" Fleshcrawl logo.This album is...
- Bloodsoul from BloodsoulBloodsoulBloodsoul is the third studio album by the German death metal band Fleshcrawl. It was the last Fleshcrawl album to feature vocalist Alex Pretzer, and the first on which guitarist and founding member Mike Hanus played both guitar and bass...
- The Messenger and Beyond Belief from Bloodred MassacreBloodred MassacreBloodred Massacre is the fourth studio album by the German death metal band Fleshcrawl. It is their first release to feature their present vocalist, Sven Gross....
- Feed the Demon's Heart from As Blood Rains from the Sky...As Blood Rains from the Sky, We Walk the Path of Endless FireAs Blood Rains from the Sky... We Walk the Path of Endless Fire is the fifth studio album by the German death metal band Fleshcrawl.This album is highly typical of Fleshcrawl's mid-to-late career material, and resembles contemporary work by such melodic/Swedish death metal bands as Dismember,...
- Soulskinner, Breeding the Dead, Legions of Hatred, and Forced to Kill from SoulskinnerSoulskinnerSoulskinner is the sixth studio album by the German death metal band Fleshcrawl.-Track listing:# "Soulskinner"# "Dying Blood"# "Carved In Flesh"# "Breeding The Dead"# "The Forthcoming End"# "Deathvastation"# "Legions Of Hatred"# "Forced To Kill"...
- Forged in Blood and Damned in Fire] from Made of FleshMade of FleshMade of Flesh is the seventh studio album by the German death metal band Fleshcrawl. It is considered the sequel to Soulskinner, and is the first of their albums to feature their current guitarist Oliver Grbavac, who joined the band to replace founding member Stefan Hanus.Being widely considered a...
Track listing
- "Skulls Of The Rotten (Intro)"
- "Structures Of Death"
- "Into The Fire Of Hell"
- "Written In Blood"
- "A Spirit Dressed In Black"
- "Fleshcult"
- "Into The Crypts Of Scattered Souls"
- "Anthem Of Death"
- "Nothing But Flesh Remains"
- "Rest In Pain (R.I.P.)"
- "About Mortality"
- "War Of The Dead"
- "Rockin' Is My Business" (only included in the Digipak release)
Line up
- Sven Gross – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
- Nico Scheffler – BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Oliver Grbavac – GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Mike Hanus - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Bastian Herzog – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Credits
- Recorded at Studio Toninfusion, Ulm, Germany, 27.April. - 13.May.2007.
- Engineered by Martin Schmitt, assisted by Chris Gajny.
- Mixed and mastered at Studio Underground, Västeras, Sweden, 04.June. - 07.June.2007.
- Mixed by Pelle Saether & Fleshcrawl.
- Mastered by Pelle Saether.
- Music and lyrics by Fleshcrawl except "Rockin' is my Business" by The Four HorsemenThe Four Horsemen (band)The Four Horsemen were an American hard rock band, who enjoyed a brief popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Their style was blues influenced heavy rock, but their fame was both fleeting and marred by tragedy.-History:...
(Starr/Lizmi/Montgomery) and "Structures of Death" lyrics by Bastian Herzog and Harold Thompson. "Rockin' is my Business" recorded at Studio Underground, Västeras, Sweden, November 2003. Mixed by Pelle Saether & Fleshcrawl. - Photos by Rainer Ruber.
- Cover artwork, graphics, layout by Uwe Jarling.