Review: Skinless – Only the Ruthless Remain

Skinless
Only the Ruthless Remain

Relapse
Street: 06.02
Skinless = Suffocation + Aborted + Decrepit Birth

Well, it’s been nine years, and New York’s Skinless have returned with a new album. I may be one of the select few who feel really disappointed with this album. It sounds almost like an entirely new or different band from before. What was a lot of goofy, fun brutal death has gotten a lot more serious, and you can now add the tech-death tag to their name. I know that things change over the years, but the whole record feels forced. The change from guttural, grunt-type vocals to a more traditional death growl is the least of my issues. It just feels like genre-standard material. The guitar soloing and leads are as boring as they get, and the core riffs just lack the punch that earlier Skinless had. The only song that I get any sort of enjoyment from is “Serpenticide,” and that’s a stretch. But by all means, if you find that the brutal factor plays into your taste here and you enjoy the change-up, don’t listen to me. –Bryer Wharton