Uncanny - The Path of Flesh

UNCANNY - The Path of Flesh (ME SACO UN OJO - 7"EP 2012)

Nowadays we experience so many reunions of old death metal bands that they became almost as common as an early morning coffee, it seems. You know, every second or third rate band from the early 90’s is now called cult and comes back with hopes to get the attention again and maybe re-live the old days. It’s a bit stupid, but what can you do… you cannot fight something what is out of your control. Let them all reunite, but how many of those comeback is really worthy and deliver great albums, that is just a matter of taste. And time will also say how many of them were real honest. Personally, I can mention some really stunning returns from the grave but also some complete failures. Who cares…

Here’s one such band, which also came back from the dead, Uncanny from Sweden! Those, who’re not familiar with them, let me say that this band did a couple of really good demos and a split with Ancient Rites back in the early 90’s and finally ended its life after the release of killer album “Splenium for Nyktophobia” in 1994. In the past years I had a pleasure to grab a copy of killer vinyl boxset “MCMXCI – MCMXCIV”, which contained all old Uncanny recordings, but the band also recorded something new! I guess with this reunion there’s one thing, which is in favour of Uncanny – almost all band members of the band never lost touch with the scene, never stopped playing death metal. Kennet Englund, Johan Jansson – they were always here. So were the Norrman brothers. So, it’s nothing like those reunions with people, who basically lost interest in death metal for twenty years, didn’t give a fuck about this music and their old band, but only a sudden interest from the fans and media made them think that maybe they can come back and do something more, even if the real passion and enthusiasm, not to mention death metal in your veins, is not there at all?!! Cannot compare Uncanny musicians to that weak crap. Uncanny came back and that’s great. And they reanimated the old dead corpse with two new tracks, released under the title “The Path of Flesh” on a 7”EP. Two great labels took care of this release - Dark Descent Records and Me Saco un Ojo Records, and damn, I just can wish that all reunions were as good as Uncanny. This is simply fantastic music.

There are just two tracks of classic Swedish death metal in the vein of Dissection, Unanimated, Gorement, Dismember, Interment, Edge of Sanity, Centinex and so on. Both tracks are superb, they basically pick up where Uncanny stopped with “Splenium for Nyktophobia”, so you’ll hear those awesome melodies mixed over with aggressive, quite fast riffage, dark atmosphere and just insanely memorable, yet vicious music. Also the production is just classic; the fat, low Swedish guitar tone, specific vocals… These two songs basically have everything what the maniacs of Swedish death metal love. And I don’t ask for more, really. I mean, why would someone request some experiments or fuck-only-knows-what from bands like Uncanny, if they simply must deliver the classic death metal formula, but played with guts ripping manner and spill the blood with every riff? No need. And this is why such “The Path of Flesh” EP works so damn good, in my opinion. I totally enjoyed it, played this 7” vinyl a lot and surely will do so also in the future. Definitely “The Path of Flesh” matches the quality of “Splenium for Nyktophobia” in my opinion!

And there’s just one thing, which bothers me. And it’s exactly the same problem, which I had with truly killer EP from Goddefied (“Remnants of the Art”). Both bands came back, recorded two killer songs, released 7”EPs. Great… and now they’re both silent since three or four years. Come on, make some more stuff, I want a full length albums from both of you! Do them now, don’t disappoint me!

Final rate: 80/100