‘Sup devils! Joe-Dawg back with another album review! Those of you in the loop are more than familiar with that opening being a homage to J-Dawg of Hell’s Headbangers infamy, and for good reason, because today’s album in review just so happens to be a Hell’s release. After vibing out to Robin Trower yesterday, I’m ready to inject some much needed, unadulterated metal into my system. Who better to do so than Shed the Skin? The Ohio based supergroup, featuring members of Ringworm, Incantation, and Faithxtractor, have graced these here virtual pages before, first in 2020 and again in 2022. Now, the StS gang comes striking again, this time with their fifth studio album, The Carnage Cast Shadows.
Like every Shed the Skin album before it, The Carnage Cast Shadows is an unabashed slab of ’90s euro death metal worship, made by guys who came of age during the scene’s heyday. If you played them for me blindly and said it was an Earache release circa 1990, I’d believe you. And despite all this, by no means does Shed the Skin come off as a soulless clone of past glory, like so many kiddo acts aping the Entombed/Dismember sound do today. These guys are capable of crafting memorable songs with catchy riffs, crisp production, and honest to goodness death at its core. The Carnage Cast Shadows is no exception.
Carnage wastes no time whatsoever getting down to business, devastating the listener with a lethal one-two punch of Entombed/Dismember flavored brutality in the opening title track and “Crook of the Sacred Skies”. The latter in particular is littered with d-beats, which speaks to the underlying crust influence that helped form early Swedish death metal. From there, we’re treated to an array of midtempo death metal knuckle-draggers, blistering high speed ragers, and dare I even say Carcass-esque death ‘n’ rollers? I’ve noted the Carcass influence on past StS outings, particularly on 2020’s The Forbidden Arts. Yet where that album drew from the riffage and attitude of Necroticism, Carnage gives some strong Heartwork vibes.
Hook-laden cuts like “Henge Tomb”, “The Mind’s Vermin”, and “Ancient Flames” jam as hard as they vanquish, boasting riffs that lean hard on the groove side of the spectrum. And it all comes together on my choice cut, “Formorian Hordes”. What can best be described as a clinic in rampaging melodic death ‘n’ roll, “Formorian Hordes” is the cream of the crop as far as “accessible” death metal goes, emboldened by a nasty mosh breakdown and air guitar-friendly solo. Amidst these midtempo forays are more speedsters like “Scion of Nyx” and “Ravenous Rage” (an aptly titled cut, if I must say so myself), making this perhaps StS’s most nuanced album to date.
Musical diversity and character aside, I find myself as satisfied by The Carnage Cast Shadows as I do every other past Shed the Skin release. This is a band who never disappoints, and despite being a supergroup/side project, boasts a cast of members who play with the same intensity and dedication as they do their primary vehicles. Furthermore, it just occurred to me this is the second album featuring Ash Thomas that I’ve reviewed in a year. How cool is that? Hey, Ash! Think we could get some new Surgikill and go for a hat trick? It doesn’t hurt to axe!
7 out of 10
Label: Hell’s Headbangers Records
Genre: Death Metal
For fans of: Carcass, Entombed, Dismember
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