Review by Adam M on June 6, 2018.

Skinless perform a very brutal form of death metal that has a pummelng effect on you.  The riffs are straight out battery and make for a very brutal offering.  This music has a scathing effect that Carcass circa Necroticism has, but has a more stripped down approach.  The beating that one gets from the music is massive. 

The guitars bring a wall of pummeling tactics to the listener.  The drums back up the music to great effect and make it even more brutal. When all instruments are considered a pretty punishing offering can be found.  Now this music doesn’t have the most versatility and this is a flaw with the recording.  It could be more dynamic, but the music here certainly makes up for that with the brutality level taken to the max.  There is a more heavy flair to the songs than what Exhumed uses and it’s difficult to find a comparison point because the music Is somewhat unique.  The intro to Reversal of Fortune puts some variation to the disc with its more subtle opening, but this is some of the only respite one can find here.  Otherwise, there is a relentless flavour to the songs that brings about headbanging from the listener.  Is it a postiive characteristic to make such a brutal recording?  Well, it certainly causes an impact to be felt even if the music could be more varied. 

Skinless stick to their guns and bring forth the most savage recording possible.  Though this year’s death metal release from Alkaloid provides an interesting counterpoint to the proceedings here, it is still nice to get such a brutal and vicious recording.  It’ll be interesting to see how the band follows things up and if they crank the extremity up even more.  As it stands, Savagery is a fun and hard hitting affair. 

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review by Alex on May 17, 2018.

New York’s brutal death metal band Skinless plays Savagery with traces of thrash metal, crossover thrash and doom metal. 

I was very mindless of the music on the first half of Savagery however, with the introduction of “Exacting Revenge”, things changed for Savagery positively. Though the first 4 tracks were diverse due to the multiple styles incorporated, they did feel like they were lacking in the attention department; they never stood apart from each other; nothing on those tracks were revealing in a good fashion. They held tightly to repetition and filler. The opening song being the title track sounded too much like crossover thrash; even some of the vocals went with that approach, not that there’s anything wrong with trying different formulas and blends, it was just added too early on in the music. The songs following it would repeat the mistake of straying away from the “brutal” aspect in pursuit of variance. I would have preferred to hear the experimentation more towards the middle section of Savagery. Then comes the interlude in the form of a 2 minute instrumental track called “Reversal of Fortune”. I think Skinless meant to name it Retraction of Misguided Concepts or better yet Back to the Drawing Board, because that’s exactly where they went with the following tracks.

The latter portion of Savagery possesses the………, well……, “savagery” so to speak. "Exacting Revenge" is the kind of track Skinless should have started the album with. It has all the root elements of brutal death metal such as the fast bulldozer drum pounding, consistently guttural vocals and untamed riffing. Savagery then takes a short break from the momentum via a doomy track in the form of “Medieval”, it does quicken in pace but remains mostly mid-paced. The following tracks build on the success of the beginning of the latter half of the album. They even manage to correct the mistakes made on the opening tracks of the album. Skinless revisited the experiments without losing the space to project the brutal death metal elements of the album. 

The production of this album is excellent and is a worthy complement to the effort of the musicians playing. Savagery is an album that will take some getting used to via repetitive listens; it fails at the beginning then triumph’s towards the end. 

Rating: 7.8 out of 10

Review by Death8699 on December 17, 2018.

1st album that I've owned by this band. I was interested because I figured that if it is Max Cavalera's band, they must be GOOD. Not to seem biased, but since he was the frontman for Sepultura alongside his brother for years I concluded I'd give it a try! I was not disappointed at all really and since the focus was on groove/thrash metal. After hearing this latest CD some times now, I thought that everything seemed to fit together-the music, lyrics and genre(s). There really wasn't anything that I disliked about this release, it is at the top of the list for best albums in 2013.

I felt so strongly about it because it's creative and original not to mention an album to "chill" to. The lead guitar work was also good and well played out on that aspect, it wasn't in any way half-assed or just annoying executions, there was real talent here that Max recruited, not to mention playing with his 20 year old son now on drums. Amazing production, thickness in the guitar riffs (I'd say they're in B-tuning). Not really overtly aggressive songs with exceptions of course. Ultimate creativity in the songwriting, lyrical concepts, vocals and mixing. The fact that they're on Nuclear Blast says something great which is another reason why I picked this out to try.

Everything seemed to fit together and the concept of pure hatred wasn't the only goal I think Max wanted on this album, I also think that the focus was originality in the music alongside lyrics that people could relate to. I'd have to say that the backup vocals/guest vocals fit the album quite well. Some of the music was really atypical though, giving it more of an aura about it which brought about more depth. There wasn't a song on here I disliked. All of the music and vocals I enjoyed immensely. A very groove-laden release and definitely a CD that's well worth hearing. If this sparked some curiosity in my review, YouTube "Cannibal Holocaust" and you'll hear what I'm talking about.

The thickness in the guitar is what stuck with me and Max's vocals seemed more higher pitched than what I was used to on Sepultura releases that he was on. I actually like his voice here more than on Sepultura, which is quite a thing to say regarding the album. Definitely good to have variety in the vocals so that you're not stuck hearing monotonous screaming or low bellowing bouts it's a little bit of both on here which is another reason why I like this release. No regrets here, the musical compositions are just so darn creative and expansive. Max definitely remains high still on the creativity factor.

Savages will hit you hard with heavy guitar work and tempos that are simply awe-inspiring. I don't think that this one you'd get bored with, like I said, a mild metal album with a modicum of fast tunes, mainly just riffs that'll just knock you on your ass. Totally awesome work here and the band needs more recognition with this one because Max does a great job at coming up with music and lyrics that really rock! It'd be great if they stick with this kind of style because it really is an album that deserves more praise. Definitely not a sell-out at all, a balls out release with great riffs. Get it and you may come to the same conclusion!

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Adam M on March 6, 2012.

What we have here is a very bare bones attempt at Black Metal that doesn’t have many fancy elements associated with it. It’s rather a bleak album with a few melodic moments thrown in here and there. It’s not quite as raw as what you might expect from a Burzum album for example, but it’s certainly not nearly at the symphonic level that Emperor displays either.

I found "The Godslayer" to have a few moments of interest here and there, but for the most part it’s a very bland and uninteresting listen. Sticking with the basic fundamentals of Black Metal doesn’t help the band here because they are buried beneath a raw sound that doesn’t let the instruments make an impact and vocals that sound like rasp rather than anything that is ever well-enunciated. At times, the music raises a pulse, but is generally very tedious and not enjoyable to sit through. This might appeal more to people that are into more traditional Black Metal, but there aren’t enough neat twists and turns to interest me overall here. It’s a very narrow portrait that shows glimpses of keyboard flourishes and burst of powerful riffing here and there, but doesn’t work well on the whole.

None of the tracks stand out and it all blends together into a work that has a few bright moments, but is generally not noteworthy as a whole. This should be check out by only the most diehard Black Metal purists.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 5
Atmosphere: 6
Production: 4.5
Originality: 5
Overall: 5

Rating 5 out of 10

Review by Denis on May 22, 2003.

Closely following its predecessor “Nordland I,” here comes part II. This ”Nordland” is, like many reviewers are saying, picking up where part I left off. So much so that it’s kind of hard to tell them apart, honestly. I don’t understand many things with these two releases. First, I don’t see the point in doing two albums so similar. The other thing is, one would suppose that a band having so much experience would come up with a great epic metal album blessed with a top-notch sound production. Unfortunately this is not the case.

“Nordland II” is actually an epic metal album, no problems with that. It is presented with a melodic, mid pace structure living by the beat of a powerful percussion section. So far so good. Some songs are in a loose power metal style and are found on songs such as ’Death & Resurrection Of A Northern Son’ and ’The Messenger.’ The best ones, also the heaviest pieces, form a trio composed of ‘Sea Wolf,’ ‘Vinland’ and ‘The Land’. These three are worth mentioning, seeing as they are the better sounding parts of this opus. Which brings me to the poor production this album was given. This, for me, is a big part of the problem. Way too much emphasis has been given to the pounding percussion and very little room for the other instruments has been left, leaving them sounding pretty weak and too far in the background. Also, Quorthon’s clean vocals sound out of breath most of the time. To summarize my overall impression of Bathory, they sound like a tired and weakening Viking ruler who’s not too convincing in trying to get his raging army out in the field to conquer the expecting fan base (old and new). “Nordland I” had more color in it by using more nature samplings and medieval, folkloric passages. I don’t see the use in stretching the venture into a feeble follow-up.

Bottom Line: Given a proper production, this could have been a much better album. However, it wasn’t, and the outcome is not so great.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7
Atmosphere: 7
Originality: 6
Production: 4
Overall: 6

Rating: 6 out of 10

Review by Denis on May 22, 2003.

Closely following its predecessor “Nordland I,” here comes part II. This ”Nordland” is, like many reviewers are saying, picking up where part I left off. So much so that it’s kind of hard to tell them apart, honestly. I don’t understand many things with these two releases. First, I don’t see the point in doing two albums so similar. The other thing is, one would suppose that a band having so much experience would come up with a great epic metal album blessed with a top-notch sound production. Unfortunately this is not the case.

“Nordland II” is actually an epic metal album, no problems with that. It is presented with a melodic, mid pace structure living by the beat of a powerful percussion section. So far so good. Some songs are in a loose power metal style and are found on songs such as ’Death & Resurrection Of A Northern Son’ and ’The Messenger.’ The best ones, also the heaviest pieces, form a trio composed of ‘Sea Wolf,’ ‘Vinland’ and ‘The Land’. These three are worth mentioning, seeing as they are the better sounding parts of this opus. Which brings me to the poor production this album was given. This, for me, is a big part of the problem. Way too much emphasis has been given to the pounding percussion and very little room for the other instruments has been left, leaving them sounding pretty weak and too far in the background. Also, Quorthon’s clean vocals sound out of breath most of the time. To summarize my overall impression of Bathory, they sound like a tired and weakening Viking ruler who’s not too convincing in trying to get his raging army out in the field to conquer the expecting fan base (old and new). “Nordland I” had more color in it by using more nature samplings and medieval, folkloric passages. I don’t see the use in stretching the venture into a feeble follow-up.

Bottom Line: Given a proper production, this could have been a much better album. However, it wasn’t, and the outcome is not so great.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7
Atmosphere: 7
Originality: 6
Production: 4
Overall: 6

Rating: 6 out of 10

Review by Denis on May 22, 2003.

Closely following its predecessor “Nordland I,” here comes part II. This ”Nordland” is, like many reviewers are saying, picking up where part I left off. So much so that it’s kind of hard to tell them apart, honestly. I don’t understand many things with these two releases. First, I don’t see the point in doing two albums so similar. The other thing is, one would suppose that a band having so much experience would come up with a great epic metal album blessed with a top-notch sound production. Unfortunately this is not the case.

“Nordland II” is actually an epic metal album, no problems with that. It is presented with a melodic, mid pace structure living by the beat of a powerful percussion section. So far so good. Some songs are in a loose power metal style and are found on songs such as ’Death & Resurrection Of A Northern Son’ and ’The Messenger.’ The best ones, also the heaviest pieces, form a trio composed of ‘Sea Wolf,’ ‘Vinland’ and ‘The Land’. These three are worth mentioning, seeing as they are the better sounding parts of this opus. Which brings me to the poor production this album was given. This, for me, is a big part of the problem. Way too much emphasis has been given to the pounding percussion and very little room for the other instruments has been left, leaving them sounding pretty weak and too far in the background. Also, Quorthon’s clean vocals sound out of breath most of the time. To summarize my overall impression of Bathory, they sound like a tired and weakening Viking ruler who’s not too convincing in trying to get his raging army out in the field to conquer the expecting fan base (old and new). “Nordland I” had more color in it by using more nature samplings and medieval, folkloric passages. I don’t see the use in stretching the venture into a feeble follow-up.

Bottom Line: Given a proper production, this could have been a much better album. However, it wasn’t, and the outcome is not so great.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7
Atmosphere: 7
Originality: 6
Production: 4
Overall: 6

Rating: 6 out of 10

Review by Denis on May 22, 2003.

Closely following its predecessor “Nordland I,” here comes part II. This ”Nordland” is, like many reviewers are saying, picking up where part I left off. So much so that it’s kind of hard to tell them apart, honestly. I don’t understand many things with these two releases. First, I don’t see the point in doing two albums so similar. The other thing is, one would suppose that a band having so much experience would come up with a great epic metal album blessed with a top-notch sound production. Unfortunately this is not the case.

“Nordland II” is actually an epic metal album, no problems with that. It is presented with a melodic, mid pace structure living by the beat of a powerful percussion section. So far so good. Some songs are in a loose power metal style and are found on songs such as ’Death & Resurrection Of A Northern Son’ and ’The Messenger.’ The best ones, also the heaviest pieces, form a trio composed of ‘Sea Wolf,’ ‘Vinland’ and ‘The Land’. These three are worth mentioning, seeing as they are the better sounding parts of this opus. Which brings me to the poor production this album was given. This, for me, is a big part of the problem. Way too much emphasis has been given to the pounding percussion and very little room for the other instruments has been left, leaving them sounding pretty weak and too far in the background. Also, Quorthon’s clean vocals sound out of breath most of the time. To summarize my overall impression of Bathory, they sound like a tired and weakening Viking ruler who’s not too convincing in trying to get his raging army out in the field to conquer the expecting fan base (old and new). “Nordland I” had more color in it by using more nature samplings and medieval, folkloric passages. I don’t see the use in stretching the venture into a feeble follow-up.

Bottom Line: Given a proper production, this could have been a much better album. However, it wasn’t, and the outcome is not so great.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7
Atmosphere: 7
Originality: 6
Production: 4
Overall: 6

Rating: 6 out of 10