Three reasons why Nader Sadek rules: Steve Tucker, Blasphemer, Flo Mounier. "In the Flesh" is a surreal nightmare come to life, with the ex-Morbid Angel vocalist/bassist (and the band's best if you ask me) joining forces with Cryptopsy drummer and dinner warlord Flo Mounier and the rasping strings of Rune "Blasphemer" Eriksen of Aura Noir and formerly Mayhem. You'd probably consider one of these legends to lead the charge, but the mastermind and director of this symphony of sickness is actually Nader Sadek, a conceptual artist known for his stage antics used by groups like Mayhem and macabre artwork and creations. The album lyrically transcends beyond the usual clichιs of death metal with a themed concept based on petroleum and mankind's lethal addiction to the all-consuming substance, an appropriate topic considering the dire, apocalyptic assault bestowed upon cowering eardrums.Overall, "In the Flesh" is an iconoclastic purge into bestial death metal from another dimension that grinds like a soulless machine and cares not for mercy or love. What makes "In the Flesh" so magnetic isn't its diabolical persona; rather, the project fuels itself on sturdy, violent death metal bleeding excellent guitar work and balanced instrumentality, even more so than the status quo of extreme music. Blasphemer's riffs are turbulent wedges of burning tremolo picking and spiking death metal riffs mixed over Mounier's constant thudding and thunderous blast beats. Essentially the record is about what you'd expect from these three musicians, and although "In the Flesh" shares the musical traits of its designers for the most part, there is a missing a tint of Aura Noir influence, which might make the Blasphemer buffs somewhat sad, but you'll be swept away in the eternal wave of darkened brutality anyway, so there's little reason to complain.
I'll be the first to say it is definitely nice to hear Steve Tucker's profane vocals and bass playing again; thankfully some things never change. Morbid Angel comparisons of all breeds and creeds are inevitable, but "In the Flesh" clearly shares the atmospheric nature of Tucker-era releases like "Gateways to Annihilation" and the pounding violence of "Formulas Fatal to the Flesh," and obviously the shearing vocals of the ripping demon himself. Blasphemer's influence is clear throughout many sections as well, including a few atmospheric, shadowed guitar nods which drool the cataclysmic doom of "Ordo Ad Chao," almost to pinpoint accuracy. Maybe the only individualistic anomaly coming from the threesome is Mounier's performance, which is much more organized than his Cryptopsy pounding, but alas, his delivery is still sophisticated and technical as always.
Maybe the lineup itself is a little prophetic. I mean, Steve Tucker joining Blasphemer and Flo Mounier for a death metal project should at the very least stimulate high expectations, and the trio has fundamentally succeeded in creating an unhallowed manifestation of Nader Sadek's morbid imagination through the harnessing butchery that occurs throughout "In the Flesh." The album actually only runs for thirty minutes, making it a quick and volatile expression that carries no extra baggage or unnecessary frills on the musical end. When it comes to Nader Sadek and his troops of doom, you get just what you except, and "In the Flesh" will not disappoint metalheads of any bloodline.