Deeds of Flesh
Encyclopedia
Deeds of Flesh is a four-piece death metal
band from Los Osos
, California
, USA. They were formed in 1993 by Jacoby Kingston, Erik Lindmark and Joey Heaslet and are still active. They founded their own label, Unique Leader Records
, which has since become home to a number of other death metal
bands from around the world. Deeds of Flesh has released seven albums, their most recent being Of What's To Come
which was released in 2008.
, entitled Gradually Melted. They then moved labels to the now-defunct Repulse Records, and released their first full-length album, entitled Trading Pieces
, in 1996.
Two years later, in 1998, they released a second album, entitled Inbreeding the Anthropophagi
, on the same label, this time with Brad Palmer replacing Joey Heaslet on drums. After this album was recorded, guitarist Jim Tkacz joined the band. The band then lost their contract with the label and self-released a demo. After this, they decided to form their own label Unique Leader Records
. All their subsequent records were released on this label. The band then released a DVD
called Deeds of Flesh: Live In Montreal in 2005.
In 2007, founding member and bassist Jacoby Kingston announced he was leaving the band, due to lifestyle changes. He was replaced by Erlend Caspersen
.
on the "Bloodletting North America Pt. II" Tour. A year later, in 2002, they would tour with Disgorge and Dutch
death metallers Severe Torture
and Disavowed
on the Bloodletting North America Part III tour. The band also performed a number of shows with Cannibal Corpse
.
2004 found the band touring with such widely-known American death metal acts as Dying Fetus
and Hate Eternal
. They also toured Australia
with Tasmania
n death metal group Psycroptic
.
After sitting out much of 2005 due to injuries to Jacoby Kingston and Mike Hamilton, the band started touring again in 2006. They toured Europe alongside Monstrosity, Vile
, and Impaled
, then toured North America with Decrepit Birth
, Vile, and Odious Mortem
.
and brutal death metal style pioneered by Suffocation
coupled with a songwriting style that incorporates numerous time signature and/or tempo changes without warning in a single song, creating a disorienting atmosphere to the listener. The riffs themselves are atonal
mixtures of fast tremolo picking, palm muted machine-gun lines, and breakdowns, all incorporating Deeds of Flesh's signature ferocity and unpredictability. The drum parts also change frequently, mirroring the constantly-shifting nature of the guitar lines. The vocals are a mixture of low growls
and high screams. On former albums, the low vocals were performed by Lindmark and the high vocals by Kingston; however since Kingston's departure all vocals have been performed by Lindmark.
Prior to their 2008
release Of What's to Come
, Deeds of Flesh never implemented guitar solos. However on this album there are many, performed by newest guitarist Sean Southern.
Their lyrics deal mostly with common death metal subjects such as death, murder, disease, and horror. However Of What's To Come
was lyrically a concept album
in a post-apocalyptic science fiction
style.
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band from Los Osos
Los Osos, California
Los Osos is an unincorporated area and a census-designated place located along the Pacific coast of San Luis Obispo County, California. The community is part of the 93402 and 93412 ZIP Codes and area code 805. The population was 14,276 at the 2010 census....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA. They were formed in 1993 by Jacoby Kingston, Erik Lindmark and Joey Heaslet and are still active. They founded their own label, Unique Leader Records
Unique Leader Records
Unique Leader Records is a record label ,operating out of Los Osos, California. The label specializes in death metal bands, mostly of the brutal or technical vein. The label has also gained reputation as a fairly solid CD distributor...
, which has since become home to a number of other death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
bands from around the world. Deeds of Flesh has released seven albums, their most recent being Of What's To Come
Of What's to Come
- Credits :*Erik Lindmark - Guitar, vocals*Sean Southern - Guitar*Erlend Caspersen - Bass*Mike Hamilton - Drums...
which was released in 2008.
Brief history
Deeds of Flesh formed in 1993. They signed to Wild Rags Records and released their first EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, entitled Gradually Melted. They then moved labels to the now-defunct Repulse Records, and released their first full-length album, entitled Trading Pieces
Trading Pieces
Trading Pieces is the first full-length studio release by Brutal death metal band Deeds of Flesh. It was released in 1996.- Track listing :-Personnel:*Jacoby Kingston - Bass, vocals*Erik Lindmark - Guitar, vocals*Joey Heaslet - Drums...
, in 1996.
Two years later, in 1998, they released a second album, entitled Inbreeding the Anthropophagi
Inbreeding the Anthropophagi
Inbreeding the Anthropophagi is the second full-length album by the American death metal band Deeds of Flesh. It was originally released in 1998 on CD through Displeased Records, and was later reissued by Unique Leader Records, a company founded and managed by members of the band.The album revolves...
, on the same label, this time with Brad Palmer replacing Joey Heaslet on drums. After this album was recorded, guitarist Jim Tkacz joined the band. The band then lost their contract with the label and self-released a demo. After this, they decided to form their own label Unique Leader Records
Unique Leader Records
Unique Leader Records is a record label ,operating out of Los Osos, California. The label specializes in death metal bands, mostly of the brutal or technical vein. The label has also gained reputation as a fairly solid CD distributor...
. All their subsequent records were released on this label. The band then released a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
called Deeds of Flesh: Live In Montreal in 2005.
In 2007, founding member and bassist Jacoby Kingston announced he was leaving the band, due to lifestyle changes. He was replaced by Erlend Caspersen
Erlend Caspersen
Erlend Caspersen is a Norwegian fingerstyle bassist, known for his work with bands such as Blood Red Throne, The Allseeing I and session jobs for bands such as Vile, Decrepit Birth, and Incinerate...
.
Tours
Deeds of Flesh has toured extensively over the past decade. After the release of Mark of the Legion, the band supported MonstrosityMonstrosity (band)
Monstrosity is a death metal band originating from Fort Lauderdale, Florida during the death metal scene of the early 1990s. Vocalist, George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher and drummer, Lee Harrison, were the founders of Monstrosity. Harrison had just left the band Malevolent Creation and George Fisher...
on the "Bloodletting North America Pt. II" Tour. A year later, in 2002, they would tour with Disgorge and Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
death metallers Severe Torture
Severe Torture
Severe Torture is a death metal band from the Netherlands, formed in 1997 by drummer Seth van de Loo and bassist Patrick Boleij.-History:The band was formed in 1997 by Thijs van Laarhoven on guitar, Seth van de Loo on drums, Erik de Windt on vocals, Jelle on guitar and Patrick Boleij on bass guitar...
and Disavowed
Disavowed
Disavowed is a death metal band from Amsterdam, Netherlands and Esbjerg, Denmark.-Biography:Inspired by bands like Suffocation, Pyrexia, Vader and Dying Fetus, Disavowed was formed in 2000 from the remnants of Nocturnal Silence. With the goal to write music that is brutal, yet well structured,...
on the Bloodletting North America Part III tour. The band also performed a number of shows with Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band from Buffalo, New York. Formed in 1988, the band has released eleven studio albums, one box set, and one live album...
.
2004 found the band touring with such widely-known American death metal acts as Dying Fetus
Dying Fetus
Dying Fetus is an American death metal band from Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Formed in 1991, the group is known for their outspoken political views, and for being one of the few death metal bands who follow a political nature. Earlier lyrics showcased the common death metal trait of explicit violence...
and Hate Eternal
Hate Eternal
-Biography:Hate Eternal was formed in 1997. The group's original line-up included Erik Rutan - guitars/vocals, bassist and co-vocalist Jared Anderson, drummer Tim Yeung, and guitarist Doug Cerrito of the band Suffocation...
. They also toured Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
n death metal group Psycroptic
Psycroptic
-External links:**...
.
After sitting out much of 2005 due to injuries to Jacoby Kingston and Mike Hamilton, the band started touring again in 2006. They toured Europe alongside Monstrosity, Vile
Vile (band)
Vile is an American death metal band, formed in 1996 in Concord, California by guitarist Colin Davis and bassist Matt "Favor" Faivre, recruiting the rest of the band from the ranks of disbanded groups such as Lords of Chaos, Entropy, Sporadic Psychosis and Thanatopsis...
, and Impaled
Impaled (band)
Impaled is a death metal/goregrind band from Oakland, California.-History:The band's name is an acronym, standing for: Impaled - Immoral Medical Practitioners And Licentious Evil-Doers...
, then toured North America with Decrepit Birth
Decrepit Birth
Decrepit Birth is a death metal band from Santa Cruz, California, USA, signed to Nuclear Blast. They have released three studio albums through Unique Leader Records and a demo independently...
, Vile, and Odious Mortem
Odious Mortem
Odious Mortem is a death metal band from San Francisco, California, USA, currently signed to Willowtip Records.They have released two studio albums, through Unique Leader Records and Willowtip Records, as well as an independently released demo in 2003.-Style:...
.
Musical style
Their music can be described as a basis of the merciless, take-no-prisoners technicalTechnical death metal
Technical death metal is a musical subgenre of death metal that focuses on complex rhythms, riffs and song structures. Technical experimentation in death metal began in the late '80s and early '90s by bands such as Death, Atheist and Cynic...
and brutal death metal style pioneered by Suffocation
Suffocation (band)
Suffocation is an American death metal band that was formed in 1989 in Long Island, New York. The band comprises vocalist Frank Mullen, guitarists Terrance Hobbs and Guy Marchais, drummer Mike Smith and bassist Derek Boyer. Suffocation rose to prominence of death metal and created a blueprint for...
coupled with a songwriting style that incorporates numerous time signature and/or tempo changes without warning in a single song, creating a disorienting atmosphere to the listener. The riffs themselves are atonal
Atonality
Atonality in its broadest sense describes music that lacks a tonal center, or key. Atonality in this sense usually describes compositions written from about 1908 to the present day where a hierarchy of pitches focusing on a single, central tone is not used, and the notes of the chromatic scale...
mixtures of fast tremolo picking, palm muted machine-gun lines, and breakdowns, all incorporating Deeds of Flesh's signature ferocity and unpredictability. The drum parts also change frequently, mirroring the constantly-shifting nature of the guitar lines. The vocals are a mixture of low growls
Death growl
A death growl, also known as death metal vocals, guttural vocals, death grunts, and harsh vocals among other names, is a vocalisation style usually employed by vocalists of the death metal and black metal music genre, but also used in a variety of heavy metal and hardcore punk subgenres.Death...
and high screams. On former albums, the low vocals were performed by Lindmark and the high vocals by Kingston; however since Kingston's departure all vocals have been performed by Lindmark.
Prior to their 2008
2008 in music
2008 was a huge year in music history with the emergence of pop superstars Lady Gaga and Katy Perry into the mainstream. Also, this is the year that is widely agreed upon by critics as the start of the fall of hip hop from the mainstream and the rise of Synthpop into the mainstream due to acts such...
release Of What's to Come
Of What's to Come
- Credits :*Erik Lindmark - Guitar, vocals*Sean Southern - Guitar*Erlend Caspersen - Bass*Mike Hamilton - Drums...
, Deeds of Flesh never implemented guitar solos. However on this album there are many, performed by newest guitarist Sean Southern.
Their lyrics deal mostly with common death metal subjects such as death, murder, disease, and horror. However Of What's To Come
Of What's to Come
- Credits :*Erik Lindmark - Guitar, vocals*Sean Southern - Guitar*Erlend Caspersen - Bass*Mike Hamilton - Drums...
was lyrically a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
in a post-apocalyptic science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
style.
Current members
- Erik Lindmark - Guitar, vocals
- Corey Athos - Vocals
- Erlend CaspersenErlend CaspersenErlend Caspersen is a Norwegian fingerstyle bassist, known for his work with bands such as Blood Red Throne, The Allseeing I and session jobs for bands such as Vile, Decrepit Birth, and Incinerate...
- Bass - Mike Hamilton (formerly of VileVile (band)Vile is an American death metal band, formed in 1996 in Concord, California by guitarist Colin Davis and bassist Matt "Favor" Faivre, recruiting the rest of the band from the ranks of disbanded groups such as Lords of Chaos, Entropy, Sporadic Psychosis and Thanatopsis...
) - Drums - Craig Peters - Guitar (of Arkaik, just announced)
Former members
- Jared Deaver (formerly of ImpaledImpaled (band)Impaled is a death metal/goregrind band from Oakland, California.-History:The band's name is an acronym, standing for: Impaled - Immoral Medical Practitioners And Licentious Evil-Doers...
)- Guitar - Joey Heaslet - Drums
- Brad Palmer - Drums
- Jimmy Tkacz (formerly of VileVile (band)Vile is an American death metal band, formed in 1996 in Concord, California by guitarist Colin Davis and bassist Matt "Favor" Faivre, recruiting the rest of the band from the ranks of disbanded groups such as Lords of Chaos, Entropy, Sporadic Psychosis and Thanatopsis...
) - Guitar - Derek Boyer - Bass
- Jacoby Kingston - Bass, vocals
- Roderick Williams-(formerly of Blasphemous)- Guitar
- Sean Southern - Guitar
Discography
- Gradually Melted (EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, 1995) - Trading PiecesTrading PiecesTrading Pieces is the first full-length studio release by Brutal death metal band Deeds of Flesh. It was released in 1996.- Track listing :-Personnel:*Jacoby Kingston - Bass, vocals*Erik Lindmark - Guitar, vocals*Joey Heaslet - Drums...
(1996) - Inbreeding the AnthropophagiInbreeding the AnthropophagiInbreeding the Anthropophagi is the second full-length album by the American death metal band Deeds of Flesh. It was originally released in 1998 on CD through Displeased Records, and was later reissued by Unique Leader Records, a company founded and managed by members of the band.The album revolves...
(1998) - Path of the WeakeningPath of the WeakeningPath of the Weakening is the third studio release by the American brutal death metal band Deeds of Flesh. It was released in 1999.- Track listing :-Musicians:*Jacoby Kingston – bass, vocals*Erik Lindmark – guitar, vocals*Jimmy Tkacz – guitar...
(1999) - Mark of the LegionMark of the LegionMark of the Legion is the fourth studio release by the American brutal death metal band Deeds of Flesh. It was released in 2001.- Track listing :-Musicians:*Jacoby Kingston - Bass, vocals*Erik Lindmark - Guitar, vocals*Mike Hamilton - Drums...
(2001) - Reduced to AshesReduced to Ashes (Deeds of Flesh album)Reduced to Ashes is the fifth full-length studio album by the American brutal death metal band Deeds of Flesh. It was released in 2003.- Track listing :-Musicians:*Jacoby Kingston – bass, vocals*Erik Lindmark – guitar, vocals*Mike Hamilton – drums...
(2003) - Crown of SoulsCrown of Souls- Credits :*Jacoby Kingston - Bass, vocals*Erik Lindmark - Guitar, vocals*Mike Hamilton - Drums*Recorded at: Avalon Recording Studio*Produced by: Deeds of Flesh*Engineered by: Kip Stork*All music & lyrics: Deeds of Flesh*Cover art: Raymond Swanland...
(2005) - Live in Montreal (DVD, 2005)
- Of What's to ComeOf What's to Come- Credits :*Erik Lindmark - Guitar, vocals*Sean Southern - Guitar*Erlend Caspersen - Bass*Mike Hamilton - Drums...
(2008) - Portal to Canaan (2011)
External links
- MySpace Profile
- [ Deeds of Flesh profile] on Allmusic