DEEDS OF FLESH Nucleus

This has been my most anticipated release of the year, and after a long and difficult wait, it has finally arrived. Work on Nucleus began roughly seven years ago, but the project was halted when founding member Erik Lindmark tragically lost his battle with sclerosis in 2018. Much of the music, written by Lindmark, Craig Peters, Ivan Munguia, and Darren Cesca, had already been recorded and partially mixed over the course of four years. After Lindmark’s passing, longtime vocalist Jacoby Kingston came out of retirement to help complete the album. Together with drummer Mike Hamilton, he finalized the story arc, wrote the lyrics, and arranged the vocals that would bring Nucleus to life.

The album concludes a narrative trilogy that began with Of What’s to Come (2008) and continued with Portals to Canaan (2013). Across its nine tracks, Nucleus delivers top‑tier brutal, technical death metal, relentless in intensity yet enriched with orchestral layers and striking melodic passages that add depth and atmosphere beneath the ferocity.

To honor Erik Lindmark’s legacy, the album features an impressive roster of guest vocalists from across the extreme metal world. Contributions come from George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher (Cannibal Corpse), Frank Mullen (Suffocation), John Gallagher (Dying Fetus), Luc Lemay (Gorguts), Bill Robinson (Decrepit Birth), Dusty Boisjolie (Severed Savior), and others—an extraordinary gathering of voices paying tribute to a key figure in the genre.

Mixed and mastered by Zack Ohren at Castle Ultimate in Oakland, the production is nothing short of outstanding. Every detail, from the blistering technicality to the atmospheric undercurrents, comes through with clarity and power.

One can only hope that Nucleus receives the global attention it deserves and that those involved choose to keep Deeds of Flesh active, both to continue pushing the boundaries of death metal and to preserve the legacy of Erik Lindmark.

For me, there is no question: Nucleus is the album of the year 2020.

Discography:

Nucleus (2020)

Portals To Canaan (2013)

Of What's To Come (2008)

Crown Of Souls (2005)

Reduced To Ashes (2003)

Mark Of The Legion (2001)

Path Of The Weakening (1999)

Inbreeding The Anthropophagi (1998)

Trading Pieces (1996)