Returning after a gap of three years, Albany NY’s Skinless are back to shatter as many eardrums and neck vertebrae as possible with the appropriately titled Savagery (Relapse). Originally formed in 1992, the band continue with their reunited classic line-up of guitarist Noah Carpenter, vocalist Sherwood Webber, bassist Joe Keyser, drummer Bob Beaulac, and second guitarist Dave Matthews who joined the band in 2013, and stick firmly to their original mission statement of delivering brutal but catchy, technically minded groove-laden Death Metal.

Just one brief look at the cover art and track listing will tell you what a fun time the band have in store for you this time. Living up to its name, the title track pummels you with its unstoppable bulldozer drums and mid-paced groove. With more time changes than your average bus timetable, ‘Siege Engine’ carries on the battery with a maniacal grin and a bloodied fist wrapped in barbed wire, ‘Skull Session’ features short sharp staccato bursts of energy and some particularly syrupy and guttural roars from frontman Webber, while ‘Reversal of Fortune’ is a relatively short, melodic instrumental piece which gathers momentum as it progresses.

‘Exacting Revenge’ sounds exactly like you would expect a Death Metal song about exacting revenge to sound, and the same can also be said for the punishing ‘Medieval’. The remorseless ‘Line of Dissent’ is followed by the blur of speed, sweat, and fury of ‘Cruel Blade of the Guillotine’ before closing with the instrumental outro, ‘The Hordes’. However, dripping with viscous black tar and pure malevolence, bonus track ‘High Rate Extinction’ simply has no right being treated as a throwaway extra tagged onto the end.

Offering no surprises or unnecessary left turns, Savagery is crammed to bursting point with quality riffs and bass lines, superb solos, crushing grooves, and a superb vocal performance, all wrapped up in an appropriately bone-crunching production.

7.5/10

GARY ALCOCK