Scent of Flesh
VALOR IN HATRED

June 2004
Released: 2004, Firebox Records
Rating: 4.3/5
Reviewer: Luxi Lahtinen

Finland´s most convincing Deicide -clone band Scent of Flesh are back with their long delayed 2nd album VALOR IN HATRED... and their debut for their new Finnish label Firebox Records. On this new album of theirs, the band has chosen to continue walking pretty much on the same warpath musically where they left off on their excellent ROARING DEPTHS OF INSANITY album. Nothing has changed that much at all and a huge Deicide –input they have on VALOR IN HATRED, only speaks for its own language for the guys´ love and admiration toward Deicide as their main, most important influence, I think. But like I have said before, they even shouldn´t try to hide those influences anywhere as I like the way they are right now - shamelessly picking up some of the best elements of Deicide´s early sound into their own strong assaults of brutal Death Metal that comes across enjoyable catchy, memorable and absolutely a beautifully murderous way. These guys know how to KILL...!! FUCK YEAAAHH!!!



Seriously, out of the album´s 8 songs they have included for VALOR IN HATRED, every and each one of them has been done for cherishing the true heritage of Deicide´s wickedly distinct Death Metal sound with heavy and determined hands. By listening to such songs as f.ex. “Circle of Dark Beliefs”, “Descent to Dark Clarity” and “Unleashed Be the Ungodly”, you cannot escape the feeling of getting Deicide´s name crawling from the very back of your brain into the middle of your nerve center, getting Deicide´s strong influence in Scent of Flesh´s sound even a deeper and ruthless way branded into depths of your mind by a giant, glowing upside-down crucifix. In fact, VALOR IN HATRED could also be considered Scent of Flesh´s LEGION by it’s a bit more technical approach on it. The songs on VALOR IN HATRED don´t, however, quite reach as intense and so utterly technical level what Benton and his other bible bashing warriors of the final doomsday have managed to do on LEGION, and even if it´s a quite blatant Deicide- whoring on this album, I could still bet for my left arm that many of you Death Metal maniacs will love the way how these guys churn out their wonderfully brutal, devilishly reeking-death and ambitiously well-executed Death Metal. The whole band is absolutely in a good strike and ready to conquer large fields of Death Metal for themselves and making armies of followers who are even willing to swear in the name of Scent of Flesh for the rest of their life.



If I can predict some of the future, VALOR IN HATRED will most probably be one of the most ear-catching Death Metal albums in 2004, but naturally your own ears will tell...