Since the coming of the Second Wave of Death Metal in the end of the 80's, the USA extreme scene was boiling very hot, with many of the ancients that are known unleashing their earlier works. Bands as MORBID ANGEL, DEICIDE, CANNIBAL CORPSE and many others paved the way for the genre growing and to keep the underground scene of USA working due the Alternative Rock/Grunge invasion. But even today, things don't work as they must, as PIG'S BLOOD's new album, "A Flock Slaughtered" is here to show.

The quintet has a fine work, a putrid Old School Death Metal using the elements from the past, sounding as raw as AUTOPSY on "Mental Funeral" era and IMPALED in some moments. And that's the problem: they sound like many bands in the same way, or in other words, they still have strong influences permeating their songs in a way that's hard to find a trace of personality. It's a matter of maturing a bit more. The sound quality was built to be raw and nasty as their musical work demands, to emulate the earlier days from the 90's. Not without having that clean sense that allows the listeners to understand what the band plays. It means that the problem isn't here, because the sound production is very good, indeed.

On their technique, it's easy to hear that these guys are talented musicians. And songs as "Gates Ripped Open (Scum Choking Out the Meek)" (fine technical work on bass guitar and drums), the good guitar riffs shown on "Violent Spirit of Decadence (Humiliating the False Triumphant)", some Hardcore elements and tempos on "Anti-kosmic Discord (Meaningless Self-Sacrifice)", the explicit brutal grunts on "Possessed by Nightfall (Violently Freeing Oneself from the Bonds of Life)", and the good slow tempos of "Enforced Agony (The Noose Tightened)" are the moments where all can hear that they have musical talent enough to make something personal. Again: it seems to be a matter of time and maturing.

PIG'S BLOOD can become a promising name in the future, but for now "A Flock Slaughtered" is just another album that shows that talent and a set of good ideas aren't enough to build a good musical work.