Written by Frankie
PeelingFlesh – Slamaholics Vol. 2
> Slamming brutal death metal
> Oklahoma, US
> Released September 8
> Unique Leader Records
This is Slamming Gangster Groove, the subgenre created by the slamming brutal death metal tanks PeelingFlesh. Incorporating elements of hip hop and rap with brutal death metal, groove, and beatdown makes Slamaholics, Vol. 2 and every PeelingFlesh release in the last year the bounciest, stank-face inducing slam you’ve ever heard. Not only does it make you want to crowdkill, two-step, and circle pit but this is real twerking in-the-pit music. If you want to know how you should be dancing to this EP, go check PeelingFlesh’s Instagram where they have plenty of videos of demonstrating dance routines matched to their songs.
The five-piece has been releasing music since 2021 and has collaborated with several up and coming hardcore and slam acts such as Snuffed on Sight, fromjoy, and 10TOTHECHEST. Currently they are gearing up to tour with genre-defining deathcore bands Chelsea Grin and Suicide Silence.
This EP along with their last EP, PF Radio (released January 2 of this year), have been filled with disgustingly hard-hitting riffs and various meme samples/sound effects that makes PeelingFlesh stand out amongst other slam bands. Their single “Nefarious Moongrass” includes an artificially-generated sample of Joe Biden describing some good weed above choir voices. That about sums up the band’s vibe.
Slamaholics, Vol. 2 comes at you with the same memey energy and track names. A highlight for me on this release has to be “Make A Move”. The way the rap samples are placed are golden. The perfect mix of slam vocals and muffled rapping that honestly just makes you want to make a move.
Identifiability and the instance of recognizing a band based on their sound is a measure of success in creating a unique take on any genre. When a band has a unique and distinguishable sound, it is usually easy to identify the band when listening to a song you may not know by them. This is definitely applicable to PeelingFlesh. Beyond their experiments with samples and their vocals and tone, the drum parts very noticeably add to my ability to distinguish their sound from other groups. The snare hits provide a necessary accent to the guitar which contributes immensely to the way the parts groove.
An unexpected choice on this EP is the guitar lead on “Intrusive Thots”. The song progresses in classic PeelingFlesh style with talking samples, death metal riffage, double bass drum, and overall groove. Yet at minute two, a chaotic, almost Slayer-sounding guitar lead comes in over a beatdown riff. I definitely didn’t expect this for them, as they are usually more experimental with their drum parts and samples over anything else. Their creativity is admirable and they are generally unafraid to try new things out.
The EP art came as a surprise to me as well. The art of their earlier releases are very stereotypically slam: people getting mutilated, people getting crushed by a steamroller, etc. In their last couple releases, I feel like they truly started to find their vision that sets them apart from other slam bands. The PF Radio art is a cool, metallic color scheme with mirrored cars and rims and a fat joint to top it off. The Terminator-esque Slamaholics, Vol. 2 art is more minimalist than I expected but after looking at it for a while, it fits their vibe quite well.
To end the EP, “Uncle Joey’s Outro” really tops it all off as the final track. It truly shows that PeelingFlesh doesn’t give a fuck. “The Star-Spangled Banner” just interrupted by sound effects and an Uncle Joey pep talk, it’s honestly so telling of the impact of internet humor.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Slam is a nasty genre but PeelingFlesh’s take on it is truly disgusting. They have that fresh authenticity to their sound that is so needed in metal right now. So many metal bands are just throwing in what they think people want to hear. What I want to hear is a band unapologetically messing around with their sound and tearing it up, so thank you PeelingFlesh for providing that. For real though, I want to see their sample list and how they come up with their samples and match them to their songs. I’m curious as to how complicated and thought out that process is. If you’re in the mood for something bouncy to make your car speakers quake, give Slamaholics, Vol. 2 a listen.