Fearless Undead Machines Reviews

This album is often tagged `death metal` though is way more M-E-T-A-L than one might think based on band name, cover and song titles alone; the morbidity of the subject matter (the world being helpless in the face of a zombie outbreak) being largely accountable for that description.

For rabid underground 80s metal fans, musically this one is nigh on heavy metal heaven; think complex Mercyful Fate arrangements, off-kilter Voivod riffing (which effectively adds to the demented and weird atmosphere) as well as Venom`s Cronos who I daresay provided some inspiration vocal wise. First album Slayer would be another another good reference point - NWOBHM-infused & thrashy; sinister sounding but frequently melodic.

Fortunately for a concept album, Deceased head honcho King Fowley is a good story teller as well, though the release does succumb to the failing of that medium - namely there being too many tracks which serve to advance the overall storyline without necessarily being good songs in their own right. When the album is in all out flesh ripping mode - such as on `Night of the Deceased` and `Graphic Repulsion` it is as unstoppable as deadly as the undead monsters Fowley & co revere so much, though for my money the introspective and philosophical parts on `Fearless..` frequently sound ham-fisted and don`t work quite as well.

The other (rotting) bone to pick is that it's so bloody long - 70 minutes is nigh on film length and though it was probably intended to evoke a cinematic quality, (especially with the Romero samples scattered around the album) an hour of morbid metal might just too much for some.

Overall though, if you love zombies and metal half as much as these guys you`d be doing yourself a disservice by not checking this out as it`s a flawed - but happy marriage of the two and second only to the great `Luck of the Corpse` debut in the band`s back catalogue.