The main question when dealing with old musical genres is: can one create something different using an old formula? The answers are many, but two distinct sets: yes, because one can rewrite things with personality; and no, because many are just making ‘more of the same’. It’s like dealing with a band whose members are fans of “Altars of Madness”: the first group try to do things on their own, and the second makes music hearing to “Altars of Madness”. After these words and a full listening on “Within Corrosive Continuums”, the third full-length of French Death Metal quartet SKELETHAL, we can set the band on the first group, because they’re trying to use Old School Death Metal models to create their own music.

The first thing to say is that the album has a sonority in the usual models for Old School Death Metal: crude and filthy instrumental tunes during the recordings, but with mixing and mastering done in a way to make things defined and understandable for the fans. It could be done in a better way, but’s not bad. The artwork is a work of Alexander Gjerdevik Skjøtt, and it depicts what their music offers, and as guests, here is the drummer Ilmar Marti Uibo (former INCANTATION live drummer) to play the drums.

The songs depicts and Old School Death Metal band that tries to use the initial formulas of the Second Wave of Death Metal of the beginning of the 90s, but with a care for the instrumental arrangements (the title track is a multilayered and long instrumental song, so it depicts such aspect of their music). But the fans will love the experience of listening to “Spectrum of Morbidity” (this one depicts the early Hardcore traces and hooks of Death Metal, with fine guitar riffs filling all the spaces), “Mesmerizing Flies at the Doors of Death” (fine contrasts between Hardcore and Grindcore influences and slow parts, with strong bass playing and drumming), “Upon the Immemorial Ziggurat” (the guttural tunes of the vocals fits on the nasty instrumental sheath, and what great Jazz-like moments), and “Within Corrosive Continuums” (a 12 minutes song with very good instrumental contrasts and arrangements).

If you’re a Death Metal fan, give a spin to “Within Corrosive Continuums”, and check what SKELETHAL is offering to you.