Soilent Green- "A Deleted Symphony for the Beaten Down" (Relapse, 2001)

Soilent Green's second full length LP for Relapse, "A Deleted Symphony for the Beaten Down," still reigns as one of the label's best releases and arguably one of the best extreme metal albums of that particular decade. "A Deleted Symphony..." builds upon the groundwork laid by the band's early work as well as their extremely influential and impressive debut "Sewn Mouth Secrets" while adding clearer production and throwing even more curve balls at the listener. Soilent Green's use of grindcore, sludge metal, and death metal is like no other and even now this particular record still manages to astound me. The unique time signatures and shifts in sound throughout tracks such as "Hand Me Downs" and "She Cheated On You Twice" demonstrate how, although complex and intricate, these songs can keep the attention of the listener by incorporating the right changes at the right time in each track. What I think I love most about this album and Soilent Green in general is that they don't bleed dry what makes them unique. While the use of sludge metal and Black Sabbath groove is apparent on tracks such as "Later Days" and the riffs in "Swallowhole" eerily represent an affinity for black and death metal, Soilent Green carefully introduce these moments to the listening experience rather than bombard the listener with them. If Soilent Green teaches younger bands anything, it's that it's all about timing, knowing when to change a song and adjust the sound by incorporating a riff or beat from an influence perhaps outside of the listener's expectations. While they could easily beat the listener over the head with an array of obviousness, Soilent Green's clever placement of certain riffs and musical moments makes them and this record so enjoyable. The aforementioned track "Swallowhole" is certainly my favorite on this record and showcases the talents of my personal favorite guitarist Brian Patton also of legendary New Orleans sludge destroyers Eyehategod. Patton's eclectic style of playing broke new ground in the 90s and his ability to both hypnotize and punish the listener with his instrument is unmatched. Equally impressive is the vocal assault of front man Ben Falgoust whose range is among the best in metal. Falgoust's diverse vocal style includes a powerful mid-range howl that is as articulate as it is intimidating, guttural growls, high pitched screams, and a rather subtle spoken word that is sprinkled throughout certain tracks. Lyrically, Soilent Green's dark, haunting, and depraved passages perfectly represent this record's maniacal and schizophrenic sound. Despite all of these attributes, I feel this album is fading into obscurity without its proper recognition and I hope that by writing this it will encourage at least someone to pick this record up for the first time.

- Joe

This review is dedicated to Anthony Biello who bought this album for me as a Christmas gift in 2001. Although certain choices in life have taken us down very different paths, I will never forget my friend nor will I forget how much this record meant to me then. Cheers my man, keep your head up.