Sacrificium - Cold Black Piece of Flesh

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I've been waiting for this release for a long time, and the wait was worth it!  Sacrificium has been around forever, it seems, but Cold Black Piece of Flesh is their first full length album.  They recorded a demo back in 1996 and then released a cassette only release in 1999 called Mortal Fear.  I, for one, thought that the band would never really amount to much.  Thankfully, I was proved wrong!  This disc is cram packed with nothing but grinding, old school death metal from start to finish.  Sacrificium, while not doing anything earth-shattering or extremely innovative, have crafted a very solid album that is full of everything a death metal fan could want:  gutteral death vocals, crushing riffs, blastbeats and double bass up to your neck, low end with lots of muscle, and even good production so everything doesn't sound like a muddy mess.
 
The album includes two rerecorded versions of the old songs "Pauper's Grave" and "Psalm of an Unborn", plus eight brand new songs.  It's hard to pick out a favorite tune.  I really like "Labyrinth" and the long-winded "Existence", but the album closers "Come Closer" and "Cold Black Piece of Flesh" are also very strong.  Speaking of "Existence", the song clocks in at over 12 minutes and there is seriously not a dull moment.  There is not really a weak song on the disc period.  One thing that I have noticed though is that sometimes I'll be listening to this album and before I know it, I've missed two or three songs.  It's not for lack of action.  I guess it just lulls me into some trance or something.  Weird. 
 
Overall, if you're looking for some real, serious metal than Sacrificium has put forth a very professional and strong effort here that is worth your hard, or even not so hard, earned money.  You can pick this up at blastbeats.com.  (Review by Matt)

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