Deeds of Flesh / Erik Lindmark / Unique Leader Records
March 30, 2019
Deeds of Flesh is a Technical / Brutal Death Metal band with elements of proto-slam from Los Osos, California. They were formed in 1993 by guitarist Erik Lindmark, bassist Jacoby Kingston, and drummer Joey Heaslet. They released their first and only EP in 1995 entitled Gradually Melted. This immediately put them on the map for the underground metal scene. What was even cooler about this, was that Erik Lindmark produced the whole thing himself. Shortly after this, Deeds of Flesh released their first album entitled Trading Pieces in July of 1996, which was again self-produced. Erik was so good at producing albums and was enjoying the producer side as well as the musical side of things so much, that he founded his company, “Unique Leader Records,” in 1997. This is THE record label for putting underground brutal death metal bands on the map. Bands such as Decrepit Birth, Disgorge, Vomit Remnants, and Internal Bleeding, are featured on the record label (all of which kick major butt).
Deeds of Flesh went on to record their 1998 record entitled Inbreeding the Anthropophagi which got mixed reviews but did not back away from their usual brutality. Their next album released in 1999 entitled Path of the Weakening is my personal favorite containing my personal favorite Deeds of Flesh song, “Indigenous to the Appalling,” as well as many other great tunes such as, “Sounds of Loud Reigns,” and, “I Die on My Own Terms,” which contains one of my favorite outros of all times. Deeds of Flesh recorded five more albums before Erik was diagnosed with sclerosis, a disease that causes abnormal hardening of body tissues. Following a battle with sclerosis, Erik died on November 29th, 2018. This was very sad news for me as Erik is my third favorite guitarist of all time. Deeds of Flesh had just finished the recording process of their tenth album, so their material from 2013 is the last time I will hear a ridiculously technical, catchy, brutal riff from Erik. “The label released a statement addressing the situation, paying tribute to the late death-metal CEO’s legacy by saying, ‘The indelible mark he has left on the Death Metal genre is monumental, both as a businessman and as a musician. After building this label from scratch with his Deeds bandmates, Erik took Unique Leader to a level he had never expected it, or the genre, to get to.’”
Jotopp • May 17, 2019 at 6:15 am
Deeds of Flesh is superior to the other brutal death metal bands , I think it’s sad what happened to Erik, but the music will remain the best Death metal ever created , as for the label Hour of Pennance is the only other act I enjoy . Trading Pieces shall remain the heaviest music in all history , I have been a musician and fan of metal for more years than I will reveal and I have seen so called lists of the heaviest bands , the Melvin’s garage quality punk is too light weight , all these gurgly pig squealing brutal slam bands sound too groovy and lack Deeds intensity , Deeds of Flesh are a Metal rooted entity , for once and all there should be a separate genre called Death Rap? Or Death Punk ? For many bands lumped in with Deeds are too soft , people are judging by the abrasiveness not the thudding hammering heavineness and seamless flow that Immolation , Candlemas, and Deeds of Flesh possess. I enjoy Cannibal corpse the Bleeding , early Vital Remains , and Deeds of Flesh with Jacoby Kingston , It was nice of Erik to support his inferiors , it sucks to know Crown of Souls marked the end of true death metal , I was hoping for a reunion of Deeds of Flesh and a return to the heaviest music path ever treaded RIP Erik