Avant-garde artist Nader Sadek has brought his project to life with a supergroup of metal warriors respected in the underground scene. By recruiting Steve Tucker (ex-MORBID ANGEL), Rune Eriksen (AVA INFERI, ex-MAYHEM), and Flo Mounier (CRYPTOPSY) as the core of the band, this brutal album coincides with his art and vision. While the project is called “NADER SADEK,” Sadek himself is the mastermind and “director” while the musicians bring In the Flesh to life.
The eerie intro features the maniacal sounds of MAYHEM vocalist Attila Csihar, and leads directly into the brutalizing track, “Petrophilia.” The track pounds away with the masterful blasting and double bass magic of Mounier, and some of the riffs are quite reminiscent of MAYHEM’s Ordo Ad Chao. Tracks like “Soulless” are largely death metal influenced, with huge hints of CRYPTOPSY found within them, and guest shredder Destructhor (MORBID ANGEL) provides some ZYKLON-esque leads to balance out the culmination of thrashy black/death metal riffs.
“Mechanic Idolatry” is catchy, brutal, and utilizes the skills of all the musicians involved. Tucker’s vocals never sounded better, and Mounier attacks the drum kit with a barrage of continuous double bass and flashy cymbal hits. While all of the songs on In the Flesh are excellent, “Sulffer” is one of the best tracks, and some riffs sound lifted from MAYHEM’s Chimera album. There’s no better track to end an album such as “Nigredo in Necromance,” with a crescendo leading up to a monstrous riff and solo, and finally crashing down to a melodic end. The album is short, with six real tracks, and three artistic tracks that break up the brutality, and the listener will yearn for more.
In the Flesh is an amazing mish mash of the disharmonic riffs from MAYHEM, the brutality of MORBID ANGEL, and the complex speed and intricate drumming of CRYPTOPSY. Forget the atrocities of CRYPTOPSY’s The Unspoken King or MORBID ANGEL’s Illud Divinum Insanus, and feed your ears with this album instead. The artwork and packaging of the CD also illustrates how Sadek went through great lengths to produce an amazing product. There is no doubt that In the Flesh will end up as one of the top albums of 2011 in many polls at the end of the year. (Season of Mist)
