PROJECT: FAILING FLESH
"A
Beautiful Sickness" (self-produced; 2003)
Reviewed by Christopher J. Kelter
I was in one of those stages of my reviewing responsibilities that forced me to look at every self-produced act with a seriously negative eye. Although I have a soft spot for local, East Coast-based talent I still couldn't bring myself to hear Project: Failing Flesh's "A Beautiful Sickness." And I know the main members through their production efforts (Deceased, Brave) – even so, "A Beautiful Sickness" dutifully awaited its turn to be listened to, picked apart, and reviewed by yours truly. Even learning that Eric Forrest (E-Force, ex-Voivod) provided the vocals on the disc did little to make me want to hear it. However, I got on a reviewing roll and randomly picked the disc up for its long-awaited turn in my CD player.
Project: Failing Flesh have created a sometimes slow-moving, sometimes fast, heavy, yet beautiful near-masterpiece of atmospheric metal that somehow manages to bridge death metal, thrash, goth, doom, and eclectic nearly un-describable left-field industrial weirdness that seems unified and complete. "A Beautiful Sickness" features 9 original tracks of the band's organic/mechanized hybrid creations as well as a cover of Venom's "Warhead." The band's original material is fresh, charged, deliberate, and moody. Every track has its own personality and character – that's hard to achieve. The cover of "Warhead" has its own separate personality – it's nice to see bands pay proper homage to their predecessors.
Please note that the 2004 version of this disc was re-released by Candlelight USA/Karmageddon Media in North American markets with different artwork.
"A Beautiful Sickness" was produced by Kevin 131 and Tim Gutierrez.
Project: Failing Flesh is Eric Forrest on vocals, Kevin 131 on all instruments, and Tim Gutierrez on all instruments. Keyboards by Loston Harris. Dysrhythmia's Clayton Ingerson contributes viola.
For more information visit http://www.projectfailingflesh.com.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2005 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised: 11 Nov 2024 11:53:40 -0500.
