By Rob Kachluba
These Californian death dealers really know how to create a vibe in both sound and style with their deadly brand of death/thrash metal. The feel here is harkening back to the good old 90s, as they combine the brutality of Death and Gorguts and the precision of Pestilence. With the emphasis nowadays creating that classic old school Death metal sounds it is refreshing to hear a hybrid like Skeletal Remains.
Vocalist Chris Monroy does his best Chuck/Marten(he of Asphyx) and bellows out like he’s emerging from the sewers. He along with Adrian Obrego combine to put on one hell of an impressive guitar tandem with tasty, well played riffs and techncical soloing without going overboard in the cheese factor. They create a sound that reeks both European and US in style with the song “Anthropophagy” that combines the razor sharp riffing of Kreator and dynamics of Spiritual Healing from Death.
The energy factor on this eight-song disc is never a problem. “Reconstructive Surgery” and “Extirpated Vitality” are prime examples: the balance between the riffing and the drumming work really well together to create a atmosphere that I felt way back in early 90s.
