I must say that I while I appreciated the idea behind Deceased as a band, and King Fowley's incredible dedication to the scene, I always found their sound lacking something. This band has been around forever, I heard their first demos while I was helping my friend with a fanzine in high school! Finally, it seems as though they hit the mark with this one. Based literally on the Dawn of the Dead trilogy (as well as other zombirific movies), Fearless Undead Machines is a total thrash metal horror movie soundtrack. It's also a reminder of what we used to know and love when thrash was still present. What i really like about this album is, to me, it sounds completely different than the average cookie cutter album that seems to appear every week from a hundred different bands. Relapse are to be commended for sticking by these guys, as I'm sure they aren't the biggest sellers, and they are an acquired taste. The band sounds tighter than ever before here, and the guitars play a MAJOR part in the sound of this album. Bass can be heard as well, which helps to fill the dynamic without downtuning to A. They also make no bones about citing Voivod as one of their major influences, and this can be heard in quite a few riffs on the album. Personally, I wish more bands would do this, as I feel that Voivod are one of the most continuously underrated bands in metal... If I have one complaint, it may be the drum sound. The snare head sounds like it's made out of paper, and the ride cymbal might be the loudest thing in the mix... But, I'm also attuned to these things a little more, and they might not bother anybody else besides me. Plus, there are so many positive things about this album, it's a whopping 67 minutes long, and most songs are over 7 minutes and GOOD! Not mindless repitition of riffs and such. I heard some balking about the lyrics, which are pretty much right from the aforementioned movies, and there seems to be a sound bite before each song, but hey, most people don't complain about hearing satan repeated 6 gazillion times on side A... To sum it all up, this is definitely the album to bring Deceased the attention they deserve, and is on my list as one of the top ten of 1997.

They've done it again. After stunning the world with 1997's Fearless Undead Machines, these metal die-hards are set to conquer once more. Being the brilliant opus that FUM was, it had to be difficult to even start and create something which would be set to follow in it's footsteps. Wisely, the band has chosen to move slightly away from the epic arena that Fearless dwelt in, yet maintaining the same degree of superiority which catapulted their last album into the halls of metal history. One surprise last time around was just the progression that the band underwent in the guitar/songwriting department. Granted, the chance isn't as dramatic here, but there is noticable growth in all departments, with King still having one of my favorite metal voices, rough, but completely dechipherable. His drumming has even gotten tighter, still holding on to the mania that is always present, yet a little more focused and direct. I give credit to the rhythm section here out of respect, for while the job is admirable, it's the guitars that rule the world here. Twin axework, killer solos and varying dynamics make for some of the best and most memorable songs (again!) for me. Honestly, it's hard to review anything else at this point, because this is all I want to hear. Voivod are still thanked profusely, and there are some nods in the spacier sections, but these guys are masters of their own thrash domain, alone in the universe, it almost seems. The bottom line is that this album is almost immediately accessible, with the subtle nuances becoming apparent after repeated listens and while now on the same level for me as Fearless Undead..., Supernatural Addictions may even boast more hooks and "YES!" moments than it's predecessor. Lyrically, not the tome of yesterday, but instead based on classic horror/ghost stories from various referenced stories. The whole thing is completely kick ass, and a total joy to review. The first band to ever sign to Relapse Records, and certainly one of the best that fine label has to offer.