Upon examining SKELETAL REMAIN'S artwork for their latest album, "Beyond The Flesh", I was struck by the relativity and poignancy of the symbolic image of men (or creatures) tearing themselves free from the bonds of their flesh. Certainly very fitting for a band called SKELETAL REMAINS.

Tuning in to the first track with its heavy, thick intro sound and crunching guitars, I immediately thought of MORBID ANGEL. Unsurprisingly, the band goes on to carry on that thick sound of death throughout the album, never neglecting their old school influences. Vocalist Chris Monroy plunged me into a realm of nostalgia with a voice that sounds like it came off DEATH's"Scream Bloody Gore", with that definite Chuck Schuldiner menacing tone.Monroy's uncompromising growls and screams are full of anger, aggression, and some kind of novel evil, especially when his does his soon-to-be signature vomit-growl - although, he can overdo it, with nearly every track beginning with it.

The band definitely has an old school edge about them, with frantic riffing mirroring that of DEATH and ATHEIST. The overall dark, antagonistic sound of the album effectively carries through music that really sounds like DEATH. A lot of bands these days forget to incorporate that deathlysound and only manage to pull off hard riffing, fast drums, and brutal vocals, with no real essence or depth. SKELETAL REMAINS has demonstrated that they are not one of those bands. The most outstanding thing about this album though is the lead guitars. The solos are simply amazing and seem to have some sort of spell about them that is trance-inducing, most evidently heard in "Desolated Isolation" and "Reconstructive Surgery". They are characteristically insanely fast and yet there is an affecting melody about them that works to set them apart from the plethora of emerging death meal bands today that tend to only focus on brutality, brutality, and more brutality.

The rhythm is definitely to be praised as well, with some *ahem* brutal riffs and thunderous drums. Coupled with the menacing sounds from the bass, the band manages to execute an aggressive yet tasteful, brutal yet melodic, insane yet intelligent sound and image.

"Beyond The Flesh" is backed by a fitting, raw production that nicely settles it in the same league as that of MORBID ANGEL's old material. In fact, it can be said that SKELETAL REMAINS may soon see some immense success as their new album as a whole is already in the same league with old material from the heyday of 80s death. The similarities drawn between the band and DEATH, ATHEIST, and MORBID ANGEL all point to the potential hallowing of "Beyond The Flesh" as a Death Metal classic.

SKELETAL REMAINS' technicality and musicality is certainly very impressive, and a listener will definitely be able to discern that this is a band that puts much thought into their music. Highly recommended for those seeking to have their ears bled out by a potential classic.