Deeds of Flesh had first introduced their vile black metal mayhem to an unsuspecting world with 1995's Gradually Melting EP, and on this, their full-length debut, they take things even further. One of those albums whose sonic onslaught will prove challenging to even the most educated black metal enthusiasts, Trading Pieces is a collection of hyper-intense tracks hacked from an oppressive wall of hate. Gory slasher lyrics lead the charge as the band pile-drives along their merry path of absolute apocalypse. This is made all the more interesting by their extremely intricate arrangements, especially in the rhythmic department, where drummer Joey never seems to settle on any particular blast-beat pattern for longer than ten seconds. An impressive first effort from a technical perspective, this album still showed plenty of room for improvement. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia

Rovi