#skinless — Public Fediverse posts

Last Retch – Abject Cruelty Review

By Alekhines Gun

Despite the core ingredient being completely the same, not all steaks are created equal. Marbleization, marination, seasonings, sauces, garnishes, lobster tail, and the right type of whiskey to chase it down are all equally important considerations in preparation for the final product, despite the cynics’ argument that you’re dealing with the same slab of beef. So too with death metal. Hailing from Canada, Last Retch are our chophouse today, offering up their second LP Abject Cruelty to appease your palate for all things medium rare, and if you’re one of those cynics who think death metal all tastes the same because of its ingredient base, you can get back to whatever soup-slinging hellhole you came from. Abject Cruelty is here to eradicate and destroy with extreme prejudice, and make sure you lick the plate completely clean by the time you’re finished.

As all good steaks should, Abject Cruelty sounds fatty and thick. Drummer Spencer Robson has his double bass rolls placed flawlessly in the mix, adding car-window rattling depth of sound to machine gun riffs (“Resinous Drip of Decay”,) while guitarists John Russell and Derek Brzozowski ride a fat tone which straddles the line between HM-2 and the more filthy production of Gutless. Vocalist Finlay Blakelock has a vicious croak reminiscent of a more revitalized John McEntee (Incantation) in its depth. These well-worn ingredients come together in a total package of high-grade death, where the riff is king and the sauce is boss tone stands supreme, resulting in an engaging listen which flows from high bpm assaults to brief respites of mid-paced atmospherics. The release sounds surprisingly organic given its low DR, and its truncated runtime allows it to entertain before ear fatigue sets in.

As for the meal on offer, what awaits is a generous offering of Bolt Thrower with garnishes via a smorgasbord of dalliances with other stylings. “Beasley Meth Merchants” rocks pit-igniting rapid chugs and simple but effective drum rhythms in the spirit of classic Vader, while “Resinous Drip of Decay” flirts with Incantation atmosphere. Nods to bands as divergent as Carcass and Demilich (“Disolved in Lye”) transition into moments that recall the chuggiest thuggiest moments of Skinless (appropriate given the heavy amount of samples) while working solos which are used more as moody set-pieces than opportunities for fretboard heroics. Last Retch have concocted an album that calls to the leaders of old and does their best to fill the footsteps of such giants.

Naturally, such a tall order has its stumbling blocks, though there’s hardly anything sabotaging the album as a whole. The samples do a good job breaking up the carnage, but some have obnoxious vocal filters, which makes them grate more than enhance the music, with “Dissecting the Leper” being the worst offender.1 The strength of Abject Cruelty is more in its composition than the technicality of its performances. Title track “Abject Cruelty” sports one of my favorite riffs I’ve heard in years as a centerpiece for the song, but the half-time verses can’t quite keep up the menace in the delivery. This isn’t to imply the band are poor in their instruments by any means, but they clearly have a vision for grand and epic death which is grazed more often than it’s grasped. They have the mood and the individual riffs down to a science, but a push to challenge themselves a bit in the technicality will give the full product the shot in the arm it needs to be in contention for the modern-day death giants of the world.

Nevertheless, the majority of Abject Cruelty is a good take on what I want out of the slightly crustier side of modern death metal. It’s succinct, every song has at least one riff worthy of living room moshing, the production is fat, and the tone violent. Last Retch is a good band, and this album is a good album with some moments of genuine greatness. During my listens, I found myself many times thinking “this would probably sound fantastic in a live setting,” and for music as cathartic and energetic as this, that is an important impression. If you’re on the quest to eradicate the kindness in your life and have a good time doing it, there’s plenty of cruelty to go around waiting for you here…

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Time to Kill Records
Website: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: September 26th, 2025

#2025 #30 #AbjectCruelty #BoltThrower #CanadianMetal #Carcass #DeathMetal #Demilich #Gutless #Incantation #LastRetch #Review #Reviews #Sep25 #Skinless #TimeToKillRecords #Vader

Putridity – Morbid Ataraxia Review

By Alekhines Gun

Formed in the early 2000s, Putridity are an Italian brutal death band. With roots as a solo project by a former member of Obscene Perversion, the outfit grew from a one-man-basement dream into a fully fledged lineup of slowly increasing reputation from infrequent release to release. A decade has passed since the previous full-length Ignominious Atonement, though the recently released Greedy Gory Gluttony EP finds the band with a refreshed but stable lineup and an enhanced taste for lethality. With last year being a stunning time for brutal death of all shapes and sizes, and this year already facing challenges from young bands and veterans alike, do these brutal statesmen have an argument for a place at the top of the beatings heap?

Morbid Ataraxia puts a lot of stock in its hefty production. A spacious tonal palate allows the nonstop battering-ram drumming of Cédric Malebolgia to erupt from underneath the riffs, with heavy emphasis put on snare violation and rapid-fire cymbal interplay. Vocalist Andrea Piro features a fierce guttural that channels the spirit of vintage Analepsy, human and caustic without deteriorating into pure trash compactor indecipherability. The tones of founder Putrid Ciccio and Manuel Lucchini unfortunately drown out bassist Giancarlo Mendo but make up for it in raw punch, straddling a perfect line between just enough treble for progressions to be heard and enough bottom end to sound like driving cement mixers. For an album that hinges on breakneck speed and more blasts than a military training ground, this breadth of clarity allows each savage moment to be present and accounted for with extreme prejudice to the listener.

At its best, Morbid Ataraxia is a precise and clinical display of the “never-ending cyclone of riffs” class of brutal death. Title track “Morbid Ataraxia” features a devastatingly foul plod of a chug while drums erupt with boiling rage underneath. “Overflowing Mortal Smell” manages to make a shuddering groove out of rarely placed halftime (for the tempo) riffage. Add more pinch harmonic-based phrasing than I can count, and time signature changes from measure to measure, and you have a recipe for a dose of relentless assault from cover to cover. The entire album is connected via samples, which range from ambient vocal gurgling and a (possibly unintentional) throwback to a vintage Skinless cut to the far more unsettling. The unexpectedly ambient ebb and flow of the album, with the samples bisecting various tracks and the constant gargling throughout the empty spaces lends Morbid Ataraxia a proper LP vibe, meant to be consumed in one sitting from beginning to end.

However, the worst thing about Morbid Ataraxia is that it’s a precise and clinical display of the “never-ending cyclone of riffs” class of brutal death. An excessive overreliance on pinch harmonics and monochrome snare abuse give the first half of the album a monotonous feeling, where each track feels like it could be substituted into another slot without impacting much of the album’s flow. Putridity traffic heavily in a vintage Deeds of Flesh approach to riff-craft, with moment to moment flowing into itself with little thought of hooks or repetition or accessibility. That’s fine, to a point; certainly big anthemic choruses aren’t what we are here for. But depending entirely on an “everything and the kitchen sink” approach to song craft means you need your individual riffs to actually pack a punch beyond their tone, and here is where the album falls flat. Two songs in, you will have heard every bag of tricks Putridity has to offer; not just the harmonics but limited drum styling, minimal lead flourishes, and speedy grinding chord progressions, all of which are quite lethal in their immediacy but ineffective in retaining attention ’til the back half of the album.

Putridity is a good band, and Morbid Ataraxia is a fine album, but the few highs it has presented have left me wanting more. The production is a delight, and individual performances are certainly top-notch. However, the band fails in overcoming brutal death’s greatest hurdle, which is to be perpetually interesting and not just obscenely heavy. The approach of stitching all the tracks together implies a concept of some sort, and I’d like to see them continue this approach in the future, but with widened wings in the composition department. For now, if you’re still chasing the brutality dragon, Putridity have you covered; just consider the artwork and don’t ask what you’re covered in.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Willowtip Records
Websites: Album Bandcamp | Official Instagram
Releases Worldwide: June 27th, 2025

#25 #Analepsy #BrutalDeathMetal #DeedsOfFlesh #ItalianMetal #Jun25 #MorbidAtaraxia #ObscenePerversion #Putridity #Review #Reviews #Skinless #WillowtipRecords

Headless, boneless, skinless & lifeless UI

• 🧩 Four key #UI abstraction patterns revolutionizing #frontend development:
• 💻 #headless UI: Components with functionality + minimal styling (e.g., #HeadlessUI, #ArkUI)
• 🎨 #boneless UI: Style systems without markup (e.g., #Tailwind, #Bulma)
• 🦴 #skinless UI: Functioning components without styles (e.g., #ReactAria)
• 🔄 #lifeless UI: Typesafe hooks without rendering (e.g., #TanStack, #FloatingUI)

Each approach offers unique benefits for building custom design systems and application logic.

Covers popular tools like #HeadlessUI, #Tailwind, #ReactAria, and #TanStack.

Learn more: https://nerdy.dev/headless-boneless-and-skinless-ui

Headless, boneless, skinless & lifeless UI

• 🧩 Four key #UI abstraction patterns revolutionizing #frontend development:
• 💻 #headless UI: Components with functionality + minimal styling (e.g., #HeadlessUI, #ArkUI)
• 🎨 #boneless UI: Style systems without markup (e.g., #Tailwind, #Bulma)
• 🦴 #skinless UI: Functioning components without styles (e.g., #ReactAria)
• 🔄 #lifeless UI: Typesafe hooks without rendering (e.g., #TanStack, #FloatingUI)

Each approach offers unique benefits for building custom design systems and application logic.

Covers popular tools like #HeadlessUI, #Tailwind, #ReactAria, and #TanStack.

Learn more: https://nerdy.dev/headless-boneless-and-skinless-ui

Headless, boneless, skinless & lifeless UI

• 🧩 Four key #UI abstraction patterns revolutionizing #frontend development:
• 💻 #headless UI: Components with functionality + minimal styling (e.g., #HeadlessUI, #ArkUI)
• 🎨 #boneless UI: Style systems without markup (e.g., #Tailwind, #Bulma)
• 🦴 #skinless UI: Functioning components without styles (e.g., #ReactAria)
• 🔄 #lifeless UI: Typesafe hooks without rendering (e.g., #TanStack, #FloatingUI)

Each approach offers unique benefits for building custom design systems and application logic.

Covers popular tools like #HeadlessUI, #Tailwind, #ReactAria, and #TanStack.

Learn more: https://nerdy.dev/headless-boneless-and-skinless-ui

Headless, boneless, skinless & lifeless UI

• 🧩 Four key #UI abstraction patterns revolutionizing #frontend development:
• 💻 #headless UI: Components with functionality + minimal styling (e.g., #HeadlessUI, #ArkUI)
• 🎨 #boneless UI: Style systems without markup (e.g., #Tailwind, #Bulma)
• 🦴 #skinless UI: Functioning components without styles (e.g., #ReactAria)
• 🔄 #lifeless UI: Typesafe hooks without rendering (e.g., #TanStack, #FloatingUI)

Each approach offers unique benefits for building custom design systems and application logic.

Covers popular tools like #HeadlessUI, #Tailwind, #ReactAria, and #TanStack.

Learn more: https://nerdy.dev/headless-boneless-and-skinless-ui

Mutilation Barbecue – Amalgamations of Gore Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

After the slamaissance of 2023 which brought us genre-blended success from Afterbirth and Wormhole,1 the prospect of slam bringing the same kind of heat in 2024 felt hopeful, but as an enjoyer of the hammer-dropping arts, I remain ever so. You see, sometimes a name and cover say it all, and in a genre like slam, those kinds of gaudy statements may be the most worthwhile attributes of the sonic whole. So when I saw festering in our full and plump sump the name Mutilation Barbecue2 and the fanciful display of human consumption that adorns their debut full-length Amalgamations of Gore, I slapped my name on it with equal parts wonder and fear. With just only two brief EPs to their name, these Ohio death boys hadn’t yet had the chance to stand out amongst the Maggot Stomp roster of similarly visualized and slamming acts, but with grilling officially in season, can Mutilation Barbecue wear the tag of pit kings proudly?

Turns out, while Amalgamations of Gore definitely has slams (“Auto Anthropophagy,” “Trampled Under 18 Wheels”) and dumb slamples (1956 Invasion of the Body Snatchers on “Xenomorphic Organ Rearrangement,” among others), most of this just over Reign in Blood-length smattering avoids falling too heavily into the most soul-sucking tropes of throw-away chugdown acts. Much of that eschewing of predictable tropes rests on the truth that Amalgamations is simply not a slam album, at least not first. Instead, Mutilation Barbecue plays a hardcore flavored, multi-influence brand of modern, 90s-toned death metal. In their frenetic riff tumbles and somewhat heroic leadwork, this young act comes off more like the persistent cut of an early Exhumed than other contemporary goremeisters like 200 Stab Wounds or Fulci. That difference goes a long way.

Despite nothing truly unpredictable happening throughout the whammy-addled and throaty run that Amalgamations spurts, its particular blend of sounds never feels tired. Well, it almost does with the built-for-stage slow build of the “Amalgamations of Gore/Skin Display,” but once that breaks away into its vocal-driven movement, Mutilation Barbecue can’t help but show a grooving swagger amongst its shredded barks and brain-rattling snare clang. And later, seeing this same kind of groove work amongst sneaky lead breaks, pinch harmonic flair, and foot-shuffling hardcore patterns, songs like “Abortion Ambulance” and “Trampled Under 18 Wheels” possess the manic energy of Acid Bath ripping through brutal death motions. I wouldn’t suggest that these spry buckeyes take little influence from death metal—a number of riffs ring tried and true to the tattered tremolo and trudge of bands like Skinless and others of that ilk—but there’s just a little extra under the hood.

Though, where enjoyment of Amalgamations can fly a bit off the rails is in its less-than-stellar production. I don’t expect death metal in this vein to be wildly dynamic, and at its lower DR value, the mix still has good placement of sounds and the kick has less clack than punch. Seasoned engineer of scuzzy acts Will Killingsworth provides a crusted warmth to this lively collection. However, volume-boosted leads and pinches collide against bright and sibilant crashes can cause momentary crackles that push beyond the acceptably crunchy live-action sound that Mutilation Barbecue chases. Were Amalgamations any longer or with more temporary breaks in tempo like “Carcass Compost,” these searing sounds could present a major issue.

As it stands, Mutilation Barbecue has left a greater mark on my memory than I would have assumed at a passing glance. Amalgamations of Gore does just about everything right that a scrappy death metal act could do in this saturated market. Alongside neighbors-in-state Abraded, Mutilation Barbecue fills a gap in pit-fiending Cleveland metro—the Midwest deserves to mosh too! Time will tell whether this troupe evolves in a matter that reflects their wild spirit rather than traveling down the underwhelming path of associates-in-grime 200 Stab Wounds or Sanguisugabogg.3 For now, keep an eye out for a show near you—these riffs have kick.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Maggot Stomp | Bandcamp4
Websites: mutilationbarbecue.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/mutilationbarbecue
Releases Worldwide: March 29th, 2024

#200StabWounds #2024 #30 #Abraded #AcidBath #AmalgamationsOfGore #AmericanMetal #BrutalDeathMetal #DeathMetal #Deathgrind #Exhumed #Fulci #MaggotStomp #Mar24 #MutilationBarbecue #Review #Reviews #Sanguisugabogg #Skinless #Slam

Mutilation Barbecue – Amalgamations of Gore Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

After the slamaissance of 2023 which brought us genre-blended success from Afterbirth and Wormhole,1 the prospect of slam bringing the same kind of heat in 2024 felt hopeful, but as an enjoyer of the hammer-dropping arts, I remain ever so. You see, sometimes a name and cover say it all, and in a genre like slam, those kinds of gaudy statements may be the most worthwhile attributes of the sonic whole. So when I saw festering in our full and plump sump the name Mutilation Barbecue2 and the fanciful display of human consumption that adorns their debut full-length Amalgamations of Gore, I slapped my name on it with equal parts wonder and fear. With just only two brief EPs to their name, these Ohio death boys hadn’t yet had the chance to stand out amongst the Maggot Stomp roster of similarly visualized and slamming acts, but with grilling officially in season, can Mutilation Barbecue wear the tag of pit kings proudly?

Turns out, while Amalgamations of Gore definitely has slams (“Auto Anthropophagy,” “Trampled Under 18 Wheels”) and dumb slamples (1956 Invasion of the Body Snatchers on “Xenomorphic Organ Rearrangement,” among others), most of this just over Reign in Blood-length smattering avoids falling too heavily into the most soul-sucking tropes of throw-away chugdown acts. Much of that eschewing of predictable tropes rests on the truth that Amalgamations is simply not a slam album, at least not first. Instead, Mutilation Barbecue plays a hardcore flavored, multi-influence brand of modern, 90s-toned death metal. In their frenetic riff tumbles and somewhat heroic leadwork, this young act comes off more like the persistent cut of an early Exhumed than other contemporary goremeisters like 200 Stab Wounds or Fulci. That difference goes a long way.

Despite nothing truly unpredictable happening throughout the whammy-addled and throaty run that Amalgamations spurts, its particular blend of sounds never feels tired. Well, it almost does with the built-for-stage slow build of the “Amalgamations of Gore/Skin Display,” but once that breaks away into its vocal-driven movement, Mutilation Barbecue can’t help but show a grooving swagger amongst its shredded barks and brain-rattling snare clang. And later, seeing this same kind of groove work amongst sneaky lead breaks, pinch harmonic flair, and foot-shuffling hardcore patterns, songs like “Abortion Ambulance” and “Trampled Under 18 Wheels” possess the manic energy of Acid Bath ripping through brutal death motions. I wouldn’t suggest that these spry buckeyes take little influence from death metal—a number of riffs ring tried and true to the tattered tremolo and trudge of bands like Skinless and others of that ilk—but there’s just a little extra under the hood.

Though, where enjoyment of Amalgamations can fly a bit off the rails is in its less-than-stellar production. I don’t expect death metal in this vein to be wildly dynamic, and at its lower DR value, the mix still has good placement of sounds and the kick has less clack than punch. Seasoned engineer of scuzzy acts Will Killingsworth provides a crusted warmth to this lively collection. However, volume-boosted leads and pinches collide against bright and sibilant crashes can cause momentary crackles that push beyond the acceptably crunchy live-action sound that Mutilation Barbecue chases. Were Amalgamations any longer or with more temporary breaks in tempo like “Carcass Compost,” these searing sounds could present a major issue.

As it stands, Mutilation Barbecue has left a greater mark on my memory than I would have assumed at a passing glance. Amalgamations of Gore does just about everything right that a scrappy death metal act could do in this saturated market. Alongside neighbors-in-state Abraded, Mutilation Barbecue fills a gap in pit-fiending Cleveland metro—the Midwest deserves to mosh too! Time will tell whether this troupe evolves in a matter that reflects their wild spirit rather than traveling down the underwhelming path of associates-in-grime 200 Stab Wounds or Sanguisugabogg.3 For now, keep an eye out for a show near you—these riffs have kick.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Maggot Stomp | Bandcamp4
Websites: mutilationbarbecue.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/mutilationbarbecue
Releases Worldwide: March 29th, 2024

#200StabWounds #2024 #30 #Abraded #AcidBath #AmalgamationsOfGore #AmericanMetal #BrutalDeathMetal #DeathMetal #Deathgrind #Exhumed #Fulci #MaggotStomp #Mar24 #MutilationBarbecue #Review #Reviews #Sanguisugabogg #Skinless #Slam

Mutilation Barbecue – Amalgamations of Gore Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

After the slamaissance of 2023 which brought us genre-blended success from Afterbirth and Wormhole,1 the prospect of slam bringing the same kind of heat in 2024 felt hopeful, but as an enjoyer of the hammer-dropping arts, I remain ever so. You see, sometimes a name and cover say it all, and in a genre like slam, those kinds of gaudy statements may be the most worthwhile attributes of the sonic whole. So when I saw festering in our full and plump sump the name Mutilation Barbecue2 and the fanciful display of human consumption that adorns their debut full-length Amalgamations of Gore, I slapped my name on it with equal parts wonder and fear. With just only two brief EPs to their name, these Ohio death boys hadn’t yet had the chance to stand out amongst the Maggot Stomp roster of similarly visualized and slamming acts, but with grilling officially in season, can Mutilation Barbecue wear the tag of pit kings proudly?

Turns out, while Amalgamations of Gore definitely has slams (“Auto Anthropophagy,” “Trampled Under 18 Wheels”) and dumb slamples (1956 Invasion of the Body Snatchers on “Xenomorphic Organ Rearrangement,” among others), most of this just over Reign in Blood-length smattering avoids falling too heavily into the most soul-sucking tropes of throw-away chugdown acts. Much of that eschewing of predictable tropes rests on the truth that Amalgamations is simply not a slam album, at least not first. Instead, Mutilation Barbecue plays a hardcore flavored, multi-influence brand of modern, 90s-toned death metal. In their frenetic riff tumbles and somewhat heroic leadwork, this young act comes off more like the persistent cut of an early Exhumed than other contemporary goremeisters like 200 Stab Wounds or Fulci. That difference goes a long way.

Despite nothing truly unpredictable happening throughout the whammy-addled and throaty run that Amalgamations spurts, its particular blend of sounds never feels tired. Well, it almost does with the built-for-stage slow build of the “Amalgamations of Gore/Skin Display,” but once that breaks away into its vocal-driven movement, Mutilation Barbecue can’t help but show a grooving swagger amongst its shredded barks and brain-rattling snare clang. And later, seeing this same kind of groove work amongst sneaky lead breaks, pinch harmonic flair, and foot-shuffling hardcore patterns, songs like “Abortion Ambulance” and “Trampled Under 18 Wheels” possess the manic energy of Acid Bath ripping through brutal death motions. I wouldn’t suggest that these spry buckeyes take little influence from death metal—a number of riffs ring tried and true to the tattered tremolo and trudge of bands like Skinless and others of that ilk—but there’s just a little extra under the hood.

Though, where enjoyment of Amalgamations can fly a bit off the rails is in its less-than-stellar production. I don’t expect death metal in this vein to be wildly dynamic, and at its lower DR value, the mix still has good placement of sounds and the kick has less clack than punch. Seasoned engineer of scuzzy acts Will Killingsworth provides a crusted warmth to this lively collection. However, volume-boosted leads and pinches collide against bright and sibilant crashes can cause momentary crackles that push beyond the acceptably crunchy live-action sound that Mutilation Barbecue chases. Were Amalgamations any longer or with more temporary breaks in tempo like “Carcass Compost,” these searing sounds could present a major issue.

As it stands, Mutilation Barbecue has left a greater mark on my memory than I would have assumed at a passing glance. Amalgamations of Gore does just about everything right that a scrappy death metal act could do in this saturated market. Alongside neighbors-in-state Abraded, Mutilation Barbecue fills a gap in pit-fiending Cleveland metro—the Midwest deserves to mosh too! Time will tell whether this troupe evolves in a matter that reflects their wild spirit rather than traveling down the underwhelming path of associates-in-grime 200 Stab Wounds or Sanguisugabogg.3 For now, keep an eye out for a show near you—these riffs have kick.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Maggot Stomp | Bandcamp4
Websites: mutilationbarbecue.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/mutilationbarbecue
Releases Worldwide: March 29th, 2024

#200StabWounds #2024 #30 #Abraded #AcidBath #AmalgamationsOfGore #AmericanMetal #BrutalDeathMetal #DeathMetal #Deathgrind #Exhumed #Fulci #MaggotStomp #Mar24 #MutilationBarbecue #Review #Reviews #Sanguisugabogg #Skinless #Slam