The Bad Penny (beta)

Seven years after their last full-length album, German death-metal deacons Fleshcrawl slithered out of hibernation earlier this month with a new record, Epitome of Carnage, on Reigning Phoenix Music. The quintet surprised everyone with their 12-song collection of gospel songs that preach the word of God and aim to convert their fanbase, which until now has largely consisted of heathens, into devout worshippers of the one and only Lord.

Kidding, of course. Epitome of Carnage lives us to its billing, providing no respite from torturous riffage and brutal blast beats during its 48-minute duration. From the merciless “Grave Messiah” to the punishing “Orphan God” to the blood-curdling “Heralds of Death,” torture is the name of the game on the relentless rampage of sacrilegious slaughter.

Because the record pretty much speaks for itself, when we were given the opportunity to check in with Fleshcrawl about their sick and twisted newborn record, we declined to bore them, ourselves and you with the same old rote questions. Instead, we used the opportunity to ask the band – which started 35 years ago, although almost all its current members weren’t there from the beginning – what they consider to be the greatest German metal bands of all time. After all, they have slightly more authority on the matter than we do, considering we’re not German, aren’t in any bands and are younger than they are (we’re pretty sure).