Facebreaker, Dedicated to the Flesh

Look, I love me a good zombie flick and I actually quite like Sweden’s Facebreaker. Their previous efforts, Dead, Rotten and Hungry and Infected were both awesome slabs of churning, catchy death metal. There comes a point, however, when you reach a saturation point on zombie-related material. I mean, you can only write so many tunes about the undead and still be original. With Dedicated to the Flesh, Facebreaker may have reached that moment.

I realize that the opening paragraph to this review makes it seem like this is a step back for these guys. It’s not. If anything, Dedicated to the Flesh is even more catchy and filled with even more head-snapping groove. The problem lies in the lyrical material. It gets pretty repetitive at times, especially within choruses as if the guys’ zombie vocabulary just dried up like the rotting cerebral goop of their subject matter. None of the songs here actually run too long, but we could trim a good amount of fluff from the lyrics, which would make for a more concise, zombie-filled aural attack.

I actually dig the material here. Songs like the absolutely frenzied “Catacomb,” the thrashier “Mutilator” and the monstrous, rolling “World Cremation” are great examples of the band keeping it short and violently sweet. Hell, album opener “Meat Freak” and title track both may run a little long with repeated choruses, but both also grab your attention quickly with thundering rhythms and more than enough head-banging groove to raise the dead — which, ultimately is the goal of this album. Slay and resurrect.

After the groove fueled mayhem of the opening duo of tracks, the previously mentioned “Catacomb” unleashes absolute Hell with pile-driving drums, rumbling riffage and vicious vocal work by Roberth Karlsson who is still one of my favorite lead growlers in the business. Let’s not forget about the frenzied lead work, as well. This song simply brutalizes your ears. It’s followed smoothly by the floor-rattling “Zombie Flesh Cult.” “Nuclear Outbreak” is another solid offering from these demented Swedes, complete with rabid drum work and driving, chugging guitars.

“Carving for Brains” is a classic Facebreaker song with plenty of chug and groove while “Swarm of Zombies” slows things down a touch for a more methodical approach. “Legions of Doom” is frantic and aggressive as all get out. When all is said and done, Facebreaker’s Dedicated to the Flesh has its faults, but it’s still a damned good album to throw on the stereo and mentally prepare for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. I’m sure the throngs of undead will enjoy those extended choruses.