Czech brutal death metal outfit Cutterred Flesh are always a treat when they fall into my lap. Doling out razor-sharp, moderately technical brutalities with a subtle creativity that helps them stand apart from countless similar bands, Cutterred Flesh never leave without entertaining and intriguing. I picked them up when they entered their Transcending Obscurity era with Sharing is Caring, complete with cheeky title and fun art. Two albums later, with their whimsical titles and artwork left behind, seventh assault The Shapes of Hidden Malice attempts to keep things fresh and still promises killer tunes. Does it succeed?
Stylistically, not much has changed in the last three albums. Techy, groovy brutal death metal reminiscent of Exocrine, Unbirth, and Deeds of Flesh still comprises the core of their sound. A bit of melody and melodrama here and there creates a theatrical character many bands in this space don't have. Lyrics that read like more horrific Brothers Grimm stories—which comes as no surprise, as every song here takes inspiration from a piece of late 19th century/early 20th century literature, from Lovecraft to Poe and beyond—imbue a whimsical twist to their approach that further distinguishes Cutterred Flesh from their peers. Heavy bass presence and wonderfully balanced percussion tones make The Shapes of Hidden Malice a particular treat to spin from a sonic perspective, whereas a greater preponderance of higher-pitched rasps to complement guttural lows afford a rancid, almost deathcore-adjacent dual vocal assault to the proceedings as well. And, as always, it's in small songwriting details where Cutterred Flesh create novelty with The Shapes of Hidden Malice, and those details make the work worth experiencing.
While the first track "The Mad Farmstead" is a bit of an outlier—veering somewhat into the start-stop riffs favored by many deathcore acts of yore—melancholy piano, gravity blasts, and a wonky storyline still give it that Cutterred Flesh flair. Things return to form from that point, doubling down on brutality and groove with hard-hitting riff monsters "Le Horla" and "The King in Yellow." Arpeggiated lead melodies reminiscent of Exocrine and a bounce that would be welcome on Abysmal Torment records mesh beautifully with an eerie atmosphere largely conjured through strings, keys, and choir work sparsely interspersed. An unexpected guest spot from Silent Stream of Godless Elegy's Hana Hajdová highlights and elevates "The Feather Pillow," creating a stunning point of interest at a critical juncture at Shapes' midpoint. This in turn precursors lovely additions like the skittering lead guitar flourishes in "The Painted Skin" and "Berenice" that demonstrate how easily pretty things can thrive in mean and ugly environs. Shapes is also tightly packaged as an album as well as on a song-by-song basis, which allows effortless revisits to illuminate details and layers I missed initially. For example, the cymbal madness in "The Willow" and "Mimi-Nashi-Hōichi" works like a charm, bringing barely over three minutes of fast and ferocious brutal tech serrations in bright flavor, but it's easy to overlook at first.
Two of Cutterred Flesh's greatest songwriting strengths are their shrewd application of novelties and their diligent attention to detail. These make every album an absolute joy, but it also functions as a mask to disguise that The Shapes of Hidden Malice is perhaps too much like their previous work. Short of self-plagiarism, Cutterred Flesh's seventh work builds its experience around the same chord progressions, the same tremolo scrawls, and a remarkably consistent groove formula ("The King in Yellow," "The Letter U"). You could, therefore, include many of its passages in Sharing is Caring or Love at First Bite and go unnoticed. While not a major issue between two or three albums, I wonder whether a band starts recycling musical ideas around this point. A direct byproduct of asking that question is the inevitable creep of the Law of Diminishing Recordings™ dip, which comes for us all in the end.
The conclusion I reached after asking this of Cutterred Flesh's newest work is that The Shapes of Hidden Malice might not be distinct enough, despite its immaculate detailing and inspired lyrical angle, from its predecessors. Those whose first exposure to the band is this album will find a creative wellspring of familiar brutal tech delivered with a sense of whimsy and novelty rare in the space. For those who have spent a lot of quality time with Cutterred Flesh through the last five or so years at least, you might start wondering what they could do to change things up in composition on future releases. Either way, The Shapes of Hidden Malice is no slouch, and a worthy offering in any brutal tech death catalog.
Rating: Good!
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Websites: Bandcamp | facebook.com/pages/Cutterred-Flesh/158482622234
Releases Worldwide: November 13th, 2026
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