Fleshgod Apocalypse
King

Release Date: 2016 | Tracklist

After nailing a concoction of opposing genres with their debut album “Oracles” Fleshgod Apocalypse would go on to release “Agony” in 2011. This proved to be the polarizing moment for the Italians as it suffered from a crisp production that, in hindsight, could have melded the conflicting genres of death metal and symphony with precision. Two years later “Labyrinth” was released but still followed the path of its predecessor through labyrinthine dynamics which were so vigorously executed that it turned the album into an endurance test. Fleshgod are still a young band though-not even 10 years old yet- and while these albums where tiring, they weren't necessarily unlistenable. “King” is their fourth album and now has the adverse task of reviving the band back to their former sovereignty.

Speed has always been Fleshgod Apocalypse’s weapon of choice and remains a central piece in “King”. Francesco Paoli lets lose his incomprehensibly complex drumming abilities throughout the album which have now been somewhat restrained than previous albums. Instead of building the architecture of a song around his drums, the percussion acts as more of a pillar rather than an entire foundation. Tracks such as “Healing Through War” therefore have a valuable balance between showcasing the speed of the band but also their melodious nature through operatic elements and Trionfera’s guitar hooks. However the speed that they chose to play at is ironically the main pitfall of “King”. The most relentless track here is possibly ‘Mitra’ -to the point of it sounding excessive. Different rhythms from every instrument spiral out from every direction in a completely directionless manner that simply leaves you confused rather than breathless. Each instrument probably sounds focused but when they are all thrown into the same mix the result is total incoherent chaos.

The benefit of Fleshgod Apocalypse’s orchestral façade is that they can portray varying emotions with theatrical visualisation. A playful, mischievous tone is found in ‘The Fool’, anxiousness and paranoia are stirred within the slower ‘Cold as Perfection’ and Veronica Bordacchini’s soprano vocals in the mournful ‘Paramour’ sound superior in every way over any clean vocals that Rossi (backing) and Riccardi (lead) have uttered as well as the aforementioned ‘Cold as Perfection’ where her soaring voice evokes a majestic sensation.

There is of course a distinct prominence of orchestra that shrouds “King”. For the most part, their arrangements are hit or miss with this album. Misfires include ‘In Aeternum’ where Francesco Ferrini’s dramatic orchestration (plus the imperious drumming) obscures most of the guitar work. Nevertheless, his additions in ‘And The Vulture Beholds’ delivers a noble and bombastic aspect which compliment the luxurious guitar melody that seamlessly bursts into a fantastic tremolo solo in total Fleshgod fashion. It’s an invigorating moment that completely refreshes any boredom you may feel listening to this album thus far.

Fleshgod Apocalypse has, once again, created and endurance test of an album that occasionally displays a unique talent at accurately matching two opposing genres; but they still fail to understand that having the ability to play at light speed for sixty minutes does not justify the lack of clarity in production that their albums convey.

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