Through The Eyes Of The Dead

If there was one thing South Carolina's Through the Eyes of the Dead really had going for them, it was vocalist Nate Johnson. Johnson's short period with the band yielded 2007's Malice, which remains TTEOTD's most revered release. Their latest effort and third full-length, Skepsis, features new vocalist Danny Rodriguez and although he puts forth a worthy effort, it just doesn't live up to Johnson's strong and extremely aggressive death metal gutturals. On tracks like "Dementia" and "Inherit Obscurity," Rodriguez does offer some great low growls, but his high shrieks are strained, making the album sound feeble, at times. TTEOTD attempted to self-produce Skepsis, which only adds to the record's overall sense of mediocrity; it probably wasn't the best idea since Malice was produced by the legendary Erik Rutan (Cannibal Corpse, Goatwhore). Although tracks like "No Haven," "The Manifest" and "Defaced Reality" feature some innovative song structures, intense chugging riffs and groove-based rhythms, it's unfortunately just not enough to top their previous release.