REVIEWS - "A Beautiful Sickness" CD (page 2)

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Behind the Veil - (9 out of 10) by Nick Parastatidis. October 2003

Friends of Death and Control Denied will find here another great band. Project: Failing Flesh (that's a strange name isn't it?) blend in their  sound technical death with thrash metal, but I also have noticed some influences from the European extreme metal scene and especially the Swedish one. The main characteristic of this band is the freshness of their ideas and the boldness they have to experiment with their sound, without losing their roughness. One other thing is that they use classical instruments like viola, something which reminded me of another great band, I am talking about Believer (if you ever find them, check them out). It's really difficult for me to find the right words to describe their music. The "intellectual" death metal they play will open the gates to new worlds of dementia. Are you bold enough and mature to listen to their music? The answer to this question can be given by contacting the band and buying their CD. In all seriousness.. how did the big record labels lose such an incredible release? Favorite songs: The whole album!

Harm Magazine - by Wayfaerer. October 2003

This was an independent band, but they have just recently signed with Karmageddon Media (ex-Hammerheart), who will be distributing this release, so that should give you a little bit of the caliber of this album.

This is definitely extreme metal, just I honestly can't find a good comparison for the band. They have a rather original sound, changing gears all the time, and the varied vocal approach of ex-Voivod singer Eric Forrest definitely aids with this. There are alot of samples and keyboards in the back, but it's by no means "melodic." Actually, it gives the music an almost industrial edge to it. The song "9mm Movie" even has a very creepy violin part. To sum it up, it's a nice mix of thrash, doom, and industrial metal. I'd say the music sounds uniquely psychotic.

Although this is an independent debut album, Tim Gutierrez, Kevin 131, and Eric Forrest have alot of combined experience, which makes for a very professional album. The production is flawless, and for an unsigned band, this is some of the best I've heard. All in all, an excellent debut that should be checked out by all extreme music lovers, and it should be easier to find after it's release through Karmageddon Media.

Standout Tracks: Scene of the Crime, 9mm Movie, Entrance Wound

Terminal Frost Magazine -  (4.5 out of 5) by Andrew Murphy. November 2003

If you are looking for a new top-notch technical death metal band, this is the band for you! This album is fucking heavy. I would compare it's sound to late-era Death, and the new Sodom. The vocals are sick, and intense. This is the best new band I've heard in a long while. The best songs on this record are "A Beautiful Sickness," "Planet Dead," "Entrance Wound," "Taste of the Lie," and the Venom cover "Warhead." What I also like about this band is that they incorporate keyboards and violins into their music. Some parts of the album can be very disturbing because of this. Overall, an excellent album,  that any death metal fan would love to add to his collection!

Inside Knowledge Magazine - by Martijn Weizen. October 2003

A newly formed three piece that has the knowledge and perseverance to take metal, hardcore, and all forms of extreme music to new heights. They call it a "sonic experiment," but that description is just scratching the surface of what to expect when giving "A Beautiful Sickness" its first spin. To mind came, My Dying Bride, Fudge Tunnel, and Voivod. The latter assumption not in the least because Eric Forrest who's taking care of the vocal duties one gave his shouts to the Canadian Sci-Fi metallers. With the precision of a machine, almost Fear Factory like, they bring across nine intense and original adventures which even include violins, piano, and some unexpected sounds. To me personally "Entrance Wound" sums up the extremities going from scary sounding piano, to plain forward thrash metal to Voivod influences riffs. That song doesn't stand on it's own, though, since all tracks are capable of getting to your throat like rabid dogs. This is one record that can set aside all you think you know about music in just one day. And that's not even true, I have been playing this record for a week in a row now and still something new pops up every now and then. 

Anvil Magazine - (9 skulls) by Octavio Ramos. Issue #1, Summer 2003

When xenomorphic researchers Kevin 131 and Tim Gutierrez entered the subbasement of a top-secret building hidden on top of an unknown mesa, the pair had no idea of what they would unleash. In an effort to warn the pathetic masses, the two scientists recruited Eric Forrest, whose collaboration with the likes of Voivod and E-Force had met with some success. Unfortunately, Forrest served as a catalyst to the sonic experiment, and as a result what was unleashed could not be stopped. The trio first assimilated Venom, transmuting its message "Warhead" into a new strain of viral chaos. As the trio watched the uninitiated writhe in agony as a result of such a potent infection, they elected to create even more deadly strains of sonic violence that concurrently retained the seductive prowess of harmony. In this way the alliance known as Project: Failing Flesh would spread through humanity at will. So, what exactly are the symptoms of A Beautiful Sickness? First off, your ears will begin to bleed from corrupted dissonance. Then piercing electrical torture will send you into convulsions. And just when you realize you are ill, you will experience a most bizarre euphoria. In the end, you are assimilated and become one of the collective that makes up Project: Failing Flesh.

Lords of Metal - by Frank Dieters. September 2003

Dear readers, today we've a very special recipe for you! You take half a pound of thrash metal, throw it into a pan and put a fire under it. Meantime you chop up an ounce or two of industrial blend (brand: The Kovenant) and cook it a little to get rid of those sharp techno-edges. In a separate bowl you grind 100 grams of death metal with some leftovers of that avant-garde pie with jazzy spots we made yesterday. You mix all the above ingredients together and put in a pre-heated oven, but not before you've put small bits of traditional heavy metal on top. It takes about fifteen minutes for the cake to get ready. It is finished when you see a nice, toasty black metal crust on top of it. And then? Dig in for some delicious bites of Project: Failing Flesh! Serve Loud! And there's enough for all your friends!

With "A Beautiful Sickness" the American threesome Project: Failing Flesh brings us a CD with a remarkable blend of all kinds of metal. It isn't surprising because the line-up consists of the two multi-talented musicians Tim Gutierrez and Kevin 131 who play all instruments and Eric Forrest who lends his throat to this project. Eric Forrest? Yes, the (ex-)vocalist of E-Force and Voivod has embarked on a new mission and does a fine job indeed. "A Beautiful Sickness" is made up of ten tracks, each one as experimental as the next. Each track has it's own identity, but all songs centre around one theme (which is pretty hot nowadays!): the fall of humankind (for whatever reason.)

A "must-hear" is the title track "A Beautiful Sickness," of which the intro reminds me somewhat of Mezzerschmitt. The mind boggling "9m Movie" deserves also an extra recommendation, because it is the most bizarre track on the album. The song opens with a slow rugged black metal guitar riff. But as the track develops a violin moves in which gets more and more anarchistic in behaviour. Finally the track ends in total chaos. Another highlight is "Scene of the Crime" with it's strong The Kovenant-references. The staccato riffs are underlines by heavy techno influences. On this basis Eric can give his spitting, clawing, and screaming vocals (his greatest quality) carte-blanche. For fans of weird covers the band saves the best for last, because the final track on the album is a cover of Venom's "Warhead."

All in all, luckily there's bands with an own sound and this is one of them. Truly laudable.

Metal Judgement- (5 out of 5) by Kefka X. October 2003

Referring to themselves as a "sonic experiment," co-founders Kevin 131 and Tim Gutierrez team up with Eric Forrest (of E-Force and Voivod fame) to produce Project: Failing Flesh. The result of the "research" is A Beautiful Sickness, consisting of nine original creations and a cover of Venom's classic "Warhead."

I find as I listen to this Project: Failing Flesh I can't help but make a comparison to a well-known behemoth of aggressive metal, Arch Enemy. The very beginning of the recording starts things up not unlike the opening of Arch Enemy's epic, Wages of Sin. The guitar comes in hard and driving and sounds like it's ready to start a war. For the most part, the rest of the album keeps the same pace from start to finish. It's furious and unrelenting. It's fairly safe to say that the guitars are the primary force behind the music itself, and the production definitely gives the guitars the push they need to accent the music. The only thing I could really complain about with the album is the extensive use of keyboards and sounds. They seem a bit out of place and distracting to me, but I think this is moreso a matter of preference than anything else. An example of this is found on the third track, "9mm Movie," which ends with a somber- sounding collage of violas. This is very reminiscent sounding of something you would find from the Gorguts' Obscura, but that is a whole different style of metal, and in this case, doesn't complement the accessibility of Project: Failing Flesh. "Taste of the Lie" is so industrial-driven that it sounds like a Fear Factory remix, and while it seems like a cool idea, it doesn't come across as necessary.

One thing is for sure though. The more I listen to this the more I like it. This is a fantastic introduction to a band that seems like it's going to be a new force in the metal industry. Minor irritations aside, this is nothing short of a 5-skull release. I can't wait to hear what comes next from this band, and I'm anxiously waiting for them to signed for a record contract. Keep your ears open. One word review: invigorating.

Treats from the Underground - by Burt Wolf, November 2003

These guys play some amazingly good Thrash/Death Metal styled music. This band is great! They hail from Virginia & spew forth some excellent classic Thrash styled Metal blended perfectly with doses of Death Metal. These guys have a real cold & tight scientific like vibe going on in their music. P:FF is much better than most of the popular acts appearing on Headbanger's Ball today. They have touches of Carcass, Fear Factory, Voivod, Obituary, Venom, Bile, and Hell on Earth. I loved this release. This is one I highly, highly recommend everyone to pick up!!!

Chronicles of Chaos - (8 out of 10) by Adrian Magers. April 2003

It's not often that an up and coming band can fully gel when writing material, and their first release is not only extremely enjoyable, but easily comparable to (and mistakable for) national acts. Project: Failing Flesh is one of those rare exceptions. The style they employ on _Beautiful Sickness_ (surprisingly, the band's first effort) is hard to describe, but seems to combine bits of mid-era Testament, old Fear Factory, a subtle Mercyful Fate slant, while introducing many interesting new elements. Project: Failing Flesh (who are comprised of instrumentalists Tim Gutierrez and Kevin 131, and former Voivod, current E-Force vocalist Eric Forrest) are eclectic, but maintain a very metallic core. There's an old-school flavor to the thrashier numbers, but elements of metalcore and Gothenburg are sparsely thrown in as well. This band is tough to describe, not because they're doing something outlandish or unheard of, but because they blend their influences perfectly, and have a very refreshing sound. There's a lot of surprises on _Beautiful Sickness_, but they all sound natural. A viola solo, layered keyboards, driving organ sounds; all centered around top-notch riffery. If there's any justice in this world, P:FF will be signed soon, recruit a few extra members for live purposes, and be exposed to a much wider audience. Currently they're searching for a label to release _Beautiful Sickness_ officially to the general listening public; keep an ear out for that sometime in summer or fall of this year.

Brutalism - November 2003

Self produced album from P:FF in the year 2003. Strange name for a band and that can be found back in their music. Have the roots in death thrash metal, the songs are fresh, modern, and also enriched with other instruments like a violin. The songs are not only ramming but a lot of different moods and experimental forces are put into. Aggressive, brutal, catchy, melodic, and skillness are some ingredients for the 9 P:FF tracks. Closing this album with a Venom cover and you have a good album. Good news is they have signed a deal with Karmageddon Media so their name will be spread more.

Metal Coven - (8.5  out of 10) - by Rumplesmoothskin. November 2003

I was never a big fan of Eric Forrest's work with Voivod. Although I liked his voice, he just didn't seem to fit in with their newer style. It is good to see though, that he has finally found his own place with Project: Failing Flesh, a Virginia-based thrash/death/industrial outfit. It is actually very difficult to describe this music, as it encapsulates almost every genre of metal in the span of ten songs. It is unfathomable that these guys aren't yet signed. Perhaps their uncategorizable sound has scared off some would-be record companies, as they might be hard to market. That being said, let's get to the music.

The overall sound is a thrash/death/industrial hybrid similar to a more organic Strapping Young Lad or Fear Factory. P:FF is definitely an experimental band, utilizing a lot of synths, real strings, and samples along with heavy guitars and drums (I can't tell if the drums are real or sequenced. Either way, they are well done). An unavoidable Voivod influence as well as bits of Meshuggah and Entombed are detectable as well. This band has an excellent mix of styles and isn't afraid to show it's influences, yet maintains an identity of it's own. Highlights include:

"9mm Movie" - A hauntingly doom-y track with a huge, lumbering riff. Check out the viola solo (courtesy of Dysrhythmia's Clayton Ingerson), which adds some unusually Middle Eastern-ish  melodies to the proceedings.

"Entrance Wound" - Somewhat reminiscent of newer Entombed, with a thrashy and simple riff. The vocals have an almost implied melody. The background piano adds some nice depth here.

"Long Silent Voices" - My favorite track on A Beautiful Sickness. It is the most Strapping Young Lad-ish tune on the album. Eric sounds a lot like Devin Townsend on this track. I love the breakdown, with it's ultra-cool piano parts, along with some string synth lines. Excellent stuff.

"Warhead" - Venom never sounded so good. An excellent cover of the classic Venom track. P:FF eschews their industrial leanings and goes for a more straightforward approach. They even incorporate a sample from "The Exorcist" towards the end. 

A Beautiful Sickness has an incredible sound, thanks to the production team of P:FF's Kevin 131 and Tim Gutierrez. The sound is huge, warm, and extremely heavy. Guitars have a thick and meaty tone, with plenty of low end and clarity. The bass tone is gritty and deep. All synths and sequenced parts are beautifully mixed and recorded.

If you like your metal a bit out of the ordinary, I highly suggest Project: Failing Flesh. It is a damn shame these guys haven't been signed yet. It is a very professional and well-written album, with enough twists and turns to keep any listener interested. If you can find a copy, definitely pick this one up.   

BallBuster Online - by Jonathan Mariante. October 2003

This trio plays aggressive, hard as nails Pantera style metal, but a little faster on some songs, with some death metal style blast beats and speedy riffs. They also use keyboards on most of their songs in the background, which is a bit unusual for a band of this style, but it gives their music a different touch. Some of the keyboard playing even reminded me a bit of Zeppelin's "Kashmir." A couple of songs were a little different, like "9mm Movie," a crushing steamroller of a tune that sounded like a mega heavy Black Sabbath clashing head on with Pantera, and even features the use of a viola, courtesy of Clayton Ingerson. Another song that stood out a bit was "Taste of the Lie," which has some industrial flavorings (a la Rammstein), and has some serious sound distortion thrown in at the end. The last track is a cover of the Venom classic, "Warhead." Cronos and the boys were obviously a big influence on the Project, and they're doing Venom proud, I'm sure! These guys take no prisoners! They thrash it out from start to finish, and do a pretty damn good job of it too.

Directory of Dirge - October 2003

One time Voivod vocalist Eric Forrest joins Tim Gutierrez and Kevin 131 to bark his way through these ten well produced tracks, with stylistic musings towards technical noise core a la Meshuggah and friends. The precision stop start riffs are battered to death with steam train drums, and are performed with bucket loads of hate and bitterness. Throw in some thrashy/death influences and we have a very capable and rewarding album for fans of this genre. There are no musical notions that feel laboured or dragged out too long and there is enough variety for repeated listens.

Walls of Fire - (4.5 out of 5) by Kevorkian. November 2003

Jetzt dreht Eric Forrest erst richtig auf. Nach dem coolen E-Force-Debüt „Evil Forces“ gibt sich der kanadische Holzbrecher, seines Zeichens ehemaliger Sänger von Voivod, auf „A Beautiful Sickness“ die Ehre. Musikalisch hat Eric bei Project: Failing Flesh allerdings nichts zu melden - er leiht dem Ganzen nur seine Stimme. Gut so, denn mir fällt außer Devin Townsend kein kanadischer Sänger ein, der dieses Werk besser hätte veredeln können. Seine rauhe Stimme passt wie der Arsch auf den Eimer zu dem apokalyptischen Gebräu, welches die musikalischen Köpfe Tim Gutierrez und Kevin 131 da zusammengeschraubt haben.

Auf „A Beautiful Sickness“ gibt es alles: Symphonische Streicher-Einlagen, gnadenlose Thrash-Attacken, Kirchenorgeln, heftige Blastbeats, verschrobene Voivod-Riffs, kalte Industrial-Einlagen, wirre Violinen-Soli (eingespielt von Dysrhythmia-Member Clayton Ingerson) und vereinzelt sogar Melodien. Die ganze Palette Wahnsinn, kompakt zusammengepresst auf neun Eigenkompositionen und eine Venom-Coverversion, die ziemlich brachial ausgefallen ist. „A Beautiful Sickness“ ist verstörend und betörend zugleich. Abstoßend und anziehend. Beängstigend. Vorallem, wenn einen die Soundwand von „9mm Movie“ (was für ein unglaublich fettes Riff!) zu erdrücken droht. Oder die mechanisch-klinischen Grundzüge von „Taste Of The Lie“, die einen Sci-Fi-Horrorfilm entsprungen sein könnten. Oder die Voivod meets Korn meets Cannibal Corpse-Kollage „Highwire Act“ – das ist ganz großes Kino und verdammt leckere Kost.

Project: Failing Flesh sind auf jeden Fall eine ziemlich beeindruckende Band. In jeglicher Hinsicht. Sowohl musikalisch, als auch konzeptionell. Für alle Fans von kalter, kranker Musik ist das absolutes Pflichtprogramm.

„A Beautiful Sickness“ ist als Eigenproduktion erschienen, doch zum Glück kümmern sich inzwischen Karmageddon Media um die Belange der Band, sodass das Album im Dezember regulär in den Handel kommen sollte. Fröhliche Weihnachten, Dudes!

Amboss - by Rafael. October 2003

Die Amerikaner der drei Mann Truppe Project: Failing Flesh haben mit "A Beautiful Sickness" ein echt beachtliches Debüt hingelegt. Sie verbinden Thrash, Metal, Industrial und diverse andere Einflüsse zu einem komplexen Ganzen. Schnelle harte Gitarren Riffs, harte Vocals, die irgendwo zwischen Mille von Kreator und Tom von Sodom liegen, und teilweise interessant wirre Melodien und Instrumente machen die CD zu einem echten Erlebnis. Abwechslung schreiben die Drei wirklich groß! Die 10 Tracks der CD sind durchweg wie ein Dampfhammer und nageln sich in euere Gehörgänge und Gehirnwindungen. Besonders der 10. Track, "Warhead" ein Venom Cover, klingt brutal und interessant. Die Jungs sind noch auf der Suche nach einem Label worüber sie ihr Debüt vertreiben können. Ich hoffe, sie finden ein passendes Label, denn in den Jungs steckt echtes Potenzial! Mehr über sie findet ihr auf ihrer Home Page: http://www.projectfailingflesh.com Eine Band die ihr in Augen und Ohren behalten solltet!

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