DECEASED
‘Fearless Undead Machines’
Relapse Records

- Review by Shane

Since its Zombie Week here at Horror Yearbook I thought I would take a look back at a classic album inspired by zombie films. ‘Fearless Undead Machines’ is all about the undead in every way. From the spectacular cover art by Wes Benscoter to the songs themselves its pure walking corpses, just look at the titles below…all zombie! Deceased were the very first band Relapse signed back in 1990. Early albums like ‘Luck of the Corpse’ and ‘The Blueprints for Madness’ have become underground Metal classics for sure. But this album, released in 1997 (recorded ten years ago this month), is surely one of the best of the dreadful mid-to-late 1990′s and beyond.

‘Fearless Undead Machines’ is the perfect union of the power and ferocity of classic Death Metal mixed with the song writing finesse and grace of classic Metal forerunners…think Maiden and early Priest with a Death and Thrash Metal edge. Brilliant twin harmonies, interplay, solos, and classic-as-all-hell riffs fly from the fingers of Mark Adams and Mike Smith. The unique, pained/tortured vocals of King Fowley convey the massive amount of zombie lyrics perfectly. It says right in the liner notes of this album…”Inspiration for the concept and creation of this project come from the following films: “Night/Dawn/Day of the Dead”, “Zombie”, “City of the Living Dead”, “Let sleeping Corpses Lie”, “The people who own the dark”, “Dellamorte Delamore”, “Messiah of Evil”, and “The Crazies”. The band is no longer with Relapse but are still going strong. Check out the bands website for the latest news on these guys. While your there read the ‘photo history’ of Deceased. Its one of the most honest and cool band history’s you shall ever read/see!

The Silent Creature
Contamination
Fearless Undead Machines
From The Ground They Came
Night Of The Deceased
Graphic Repulsion
Mysterious Research
Beyond Science
Unhuman Drama
The Psychic
Destiny

Read all of Shane’s Music Reviews in our Music section.