Customer Reviews

Nightmares Made Flesh

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Back in 2002, when Bloodbath released their last album (their debut disc, "Resurrection Through Carnage"), the rock music scene was swarming with nu-metal bands like Limp Bizkit. Flash forward three years and the heavy music scene is now overflowing with Swedish melodeath-influenced metalcore bands like Killswitch Engage. But whether several years in the past or modern day, it's always been very refreshing to hear a new Bloodbath album. And while "Nightmares Made Flesh" may not break down any walls, it's good to know that you won't find one trace of Fred Durst-style rapping or KsE-esque soulful singing. Indeed, this five piece is a rare find nowadays: a not very melodic Swedish death metal band.

A fan might be quick to dismiss Bloodbath's new album, "Nightmares Made Flesh," because it's the band's first album without the talents of Opeth singer Mikael Akerfeldt. But most any Bloodbath/death metal fan will tell you that newcomer Peter Tagtgren does a fine job of filling in for Akerfeldt's shoes. Peter's Hellish voice sounds equally as effective and intense whether it's belting out low bellows or high, glass shattering shrieks. Plus, the rest of the band seem to great, as well. Blakkheim and Dan Swano (who was Bloodbath's former drummer) comprise the guitar duo, and they turn out many exceptional, fiery, and mighty heavy riffs. And meanwhile, newbie drummer Martin Axenrot pummels away at his trapkit with loose, thrashy precision.

"Cancer Of The Soul," which features thick, churning guitars and thunderous double bass work, is the album's fist bludgeoning. "Brave New Hell" and "Soul Evisceration" feature pounding, bulldozing riffs, mini guitar solos, and cool, shrill battle cries, making these songs worthy follow ups to the album opener. Elsewhere, "Eaten" is a slower, churning rhythm with an acoustic interlude and a few speaker-shaking bellows; "Bastard Son Of God" is full of grumbling guitars and pounding drums; "The Ascension" successfully incorporates an orchestra into the mix of blazing riffs, rapid fire drums, and ascending guitar solos; and, lastly, "Draped In Disease" is highlighted by a whiplash tempo change, as well as more scorching riffs and jackhammer double bass drumming.

So, all in all, "Nightmares Made Flesh" may not really break down any new walls, but when you consider how condensed and cliche the Swedish metal scene is today, any metalhead would tell you it's great to have Bloodbath back.

It figures it would take a collaboration of some high-profile Swedes to concoct one of the most focused, vicious, and skull-splitting CDs I've heard in a VERY long time. I would be hard pressed to find a more concise, cohesive death metal effort that pierced me to the bone as much as Nightmares Made Flesh does. Consisting of Anders Nyström & Jonas Renkse from Katatonia, Martin Axenrot from Witchery, Swedish metal genius Dan Swanö and razor-throated Hypocrisy frontman Peter Tägtgren, Bloodbath could very well be the supergroup to end all supergroups. While some were skeptical about the band's future upon the departure of Opeth's Mikael Akerfeldt, Tagtgren's multi-hued howl is not just a perfect replacement, it's actually preferred! While Akerfeldt's roar gave listeners the impression of a rampaging behemoth, Tagtgren's soul-chilling howl makes each song sound as if it's being sung from the depths of the abyss. Nightmares Made Flesh is the kind of death metal CD that makes you want to forget there ever were trends in the DM scene. The album is purely devastating, with gargantuan riffage, Schuldiner-esque melodies and grooves that hearken Mordor's Uruk Hai marches from Lord of the Rings. Each song is a different level of brutal, with Swanö, Nyström, and Renkse splitting writing duties. As a whole, the album could have been Edge of Sanity's follow-up to Purgatory Afterglow had they not explored the conceptual realm of Crimson, but that is another story. You can hear traces of EoS on virtually every track, though Swanö was only responsible for four songs, including the thick-as-hell, doom-fisted "Eaten" - a brooding elegy of masochistic lust - the best song Six Feet Under never wrote. Nightmares Made Flesh is an album designed to remind fledgling metal maniacs of the rampant brutality that dominated the death metal scene prior to the over-saturation of Maiden-istic, neo-melodic, Gothenburg death/thrash and that old dogs, no matter how far they've distanced from the stale waves of metallic trend, still have some very painful tricks up their blood-soaked sleeves.

Bloodbath's Nightmares Made Flesh is pure, unrestrained, original death metal. To me it seems like there isn't very many bands like this anymore that can produce good original death metal but Bloodbath does it on this record. The vocals are really good and the guitars are brutally heavy creating a heavy dark death metal atmosphere. The front cover is kick a$$ too! Get this CD now if you want good death metal.

The first song I heard from this band was Soul Evisceration, listening to Pandora. I was blown away! This is truly how death metal should be done, although I'm glad all bands don't sound like this because Bloodbath deserve to stand out in the mass of crappy metalcore and DM wannabe bands out there. Nightmares Made Flesh is reminiscent of old school death metal, which seems to be almost unheard of lately. Every song on this album is superb and they all compliment each other very well. If you are a fan of true death metal, please hit the HELPFUL button and purchase this album! You will not be disappointed.

Killer CD here folks. Eaten is obviously a great metal song, but they are all really good on this one. LOVE the 2 demos at the end too. Breeding Death is my fav track here actually. You will not be disappointed with this one!

Bloodbath's Nightmares Made Flesh is a crowning achievement in Death Metal. This is truly a monster of an album, a juggernaut, tearing through everything in it's path. This raises the bar for Death Metal everywhere. If you want to hear straightforward Death Metal done right, get this album. Every track is a winner, even the last 2 demo tracks. You will notice a difference in sound quality on those 2 tracks, but that minor flaw can't reduce the album's greatness enough to be a significant factor. Aside from that, whatever equipment they are using, it's working. The guitars sound perfect and the skilled axemen get the job done. This album makes my top 10 Death Metal albums of all time with flying colors. I think it will make your top 10 list too.

All in all, this album is pretty good. It has just about everything you want in a death metal album: speed, slow downs, deep vocals, screaming. Although, sometimes can be a little predictable and too 'power chord' driven. Unfortunately, there are a lot of other cd's out there that are similar.

Everytime I listen to a song I think to myself "This is my favorite song." But then I hear the next track and think that I was wrong and this track is actually my favorite. It's so rare for an album be so good where you cannot pin point which song is the best.

Nightmares Made Flesh is the first Bloodbath album I've heard. I picked up after learning that Peter Tägtgren did vocals for it. His voice is the perfect for any death metal. His growls are amazing yet still intelligible, something that is rather uncommon.

This album is a relentless assault bliss. Every song is unique and distinctive. I've heard the album a couple dozen times by now and I am yet to start tiring of it.

If I must pick out a couple songs...I'ld pick out The Ascension and Draped in Disease. They come right after each other and I find they complement each other quite well.

This album is sick. Reminds me so much of old-school European DM. Truthfully, I didn't like Bloodbath from what I heard, But I also heard a hype about Nightmares Made Flesh. So I listened to a song and it was simply amazing. Any fan of metal will like this. 10/10

When i first heard of bloodbath I thought oh great yet another Deathmetal band geez. That all ended with the first track. The sounding of the drums mixed so well with the guitar and the bass then that singinging of the lead singer mixed in. They showed that Deathmetal is not only back but with a furious pain that will take down anything and everything in its way. They show that deathmetal for what it truly is