Album Review: Fessus - Subcutaneous Tomb
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Fessus are only a recent creation, having only come together in 2023 where, the same year, they released their debut Demo, Pilgrims Of Morbidity. A Live Album in the similar vein, Thresholds Of Morbidity, came out a year later as well as a Split alongside Kill The Lord. A few weeks prior to that Split Fessus played a London edition of Killtown Deathfest at the Dome, Tufnell Park, however I was unable to see them perform. With their first album due out November 26th and evidently sporting a Gorguts worship right on the nose, these Austrians are making it clear what they’re all about and what we should expect. Landing themselves on Darkness Shall Rise Productions, Fessus have the hit the ground running early in their career, and here we hope Subcutaneous Tomb only takes them even further.
If an immediate listen isn’t apparent, Fessus truly love old school death metal. This indication is plastered cleanly across Subcutaneous Tomb, from the guitar tone to the vocal inflections to how the drums still cut through everything providing beats and ensure the record always maintains its pacing. Of the numerous extreme metal works I've encountered this year, Subcutaneous Tomb is the one where the band demonstrate keenly that this sound is absolutely purposeful. Its not a debate over volume or tone or whether the band could go heavier, this record is crafted and mixed as it is because that was the band’s intention. The result is death metal as if viewed under a microscope; the sheer scope of control and discipline the band impart in all aspects of their performance is striking. There's also little to no fanfare attributed to their performance; each track begins, does its job, and ends; the band haven’t tried to artificially hype their sound up to garner a greater albeit undeserved praise. Any positivity regarding Fessus shall be created via organic and natural contemplation. In this day and age where bands often try one-upping the next to craft the most vicious, malignant sound going, Fessus showcase the advantage restraint and going your own way delivers, and it delivers thusly in their songwriting.
Fessus may play perform old school death metal but we mustn’t think they therefore abandon their faculties for the sake of dismemberment. Listening to Subcutaneous Tomb shows an astonishing degree of control over their riffs and the direction they take us down. As we’ll discuss soon their pace is slower than other acts, and by slowing the momentum its enabled us to sink our teeth ever deeper into their sound. But the riffs here aren’t overly elaborate nor does the guitar work try and constantly pepper the record with riffs and adjoining licks; there’s plenty of open space for the bass and drums to pour through. This more than anything results in a slower-feeling record since the riffs aren’t attempting to push us at breakneck pace, and why a six-track album features songwriting of decidely higher calibre than Fessus’ contemporaries could sport. This approach to patient songwriting pays off since the audience understands the band respect the time we’re investing into them, and by playing riffs with purposefully methodical precision it somehow conveys greater quantities of power than had they simply blitzed guitar tone with supersonic intensity.
There really is no rush where Fessus are concerned. Their approach has a degree of speed but you won’t feel like the band are looking to rush you round from point A to point B without spending quality time and basking in the decrepit glory they’ve crafted. Most tracks included range upwards of six or seven minutes but even the shortest pieces demand intense attention as Fessus prove capable of drawing more out of their songwriting here than other acts do with their longest. You won’t find Fessus pulling off the most crushing tone on record here but i think they benefit from just such a decision for the guitar tone they’ve opted for evokes the horror and evil they were after. Furthermore it gives the guitar sound freedom to undergo these more cerebral soundscapes should soloing be employed, enabling variety, keeping us invested in what’s to come.
Fessus are a band that feel like they truly believe in the “old” aspect of old school death metal. Rather than simply using the moniker as a throwaway means of getting fans on board to their sound and thus injecting their identity with overt masses of tone and belligerent devastation, Fessus write music that feels incredibly deliberate, where nothing has been included that doesn’t otherwise serve the greater purpose of the record. If one were to send Subcutaneous Tomb back in time to death metal’s formative era alongside the burgeoning Autopsy, Morbid Angel, Obituary etc I thoroughly believe Fessus would be organically included amongst their prestige. Rather than imbue their sound with hideous levels of brutality, Fessus focus instead on atmospheric perversity that isn’t so heavy you can’t remove yourself from it so continuation into the record is solely out of personal consent. Recognising you yourself make the choice to remain in such a sickening and decaying record is half the entertainment with old school death metal, and since the production is far from overbearing it results in a proto-death metal aesthetic that you’ll actively foam at the mouth to return to. You could extend this to the vocals too, for the delivery is far from anything you haven’t heard before but for what Fessus provide they’re perfect. In this soundscape where great levity is granted to the listener they exert a telltale, ravenous tone that rests nicely atop the instrumentation, but can run wild with animalistic salivation and desire when the intensity reaches its apex. We therefore have here a record that firmly knows what it wants to do, breaks free of its parameters periodically, but always has its gaze firmly set on target.
In conclusion, Subcutaneous Tomb is an excellent example of death metal where every member of the band herein has their head screwed on tight. While some may be initially disheartened to find the record doesn’t excel in offering explosivity at every turn, I think they’ll be turned round and then on to Fessus as the record proceeds. The slow and deliberate nature this record possesses allows riffs to not only come at us with zero hindrance but also lets them burrow into our skin, find the soft spots, and just stew there as they nest in a new home. You’ll find yourself replaying various riffs or sequences in your head over and again which can only be remedied by replaying Subcutaneous Tomb from the start. Where it lacks blunt force pedigree it oozes subtlety, worming its way into your psyche as you find yourself becoming attached to the disciplined, precise performance Fessus’ riffs are imbued with. Though the record is far from progressive or technical by any means, you can’t write music like this overnight, it demands legitimate time spent to iron out every drawback or lacklustre feature. I missed Fessus perform last year but you can bet money now I'll be following them closely. This is an excellent full-length debut.
