Review Summary: Traumatic Reconfiguration is a great death metal record, and affirms Fleshrot as a great death metal outfit.
The U.K’s Fleshrot are fast making a name for themselves in the underground death metal arena, with their brutal technical clamour proving to be a reinvigorating entity that is as exciting as it is savage.
Debut album Traumatic Reconfiguration goes a long way to highlight why the band are rapidly growing in popularity. Whilst the nine tracks present stick rigidly to the ultra violent ethos that is of course standard in death metal circles, Fleshrot manage to distinguish themselves by injecting a certain accessibility to their songs, retaining an awareness of musicality within their bludgeoning sound that does nothing to separate them from, or indeed make them any less convincing, than their contemporaries.
It is from the guitar work where this subtle accessible quality comes from, with the band not afraid to incorporate some lead breaks that are discernable in their melodic edge, such as the snaking solo in ’Essence Of Decay’ that balances technical runs with some meandering melodious passages. The riffs, although through most of the record switching from tremolo picked sections and rapidly complex barrages, impart a catchiness in the sense that the classic death metal acts such as Morbid Angel and Cannibal Corpse were able too. The bouncy groove that begins ’Oblivion’, or the opening of ‘Venatic Perversion’, whilst not letting up on the speed or the inherit ferocity, are still able to hook the listener and remain with them, which is not easy feat when writing such extreme and complicated music.
Yet, as I have said, Fleshrot remain unflinchingly vicious for all their small hooky considerations. The vocals remain a juxtaposition of guttural roars and high shrieks throughout (with the aforementioned ‘Essence Of Decay’ even including some tortured, strangled wails to finish the song, which are as surprising as they are disturbing), and the songs rattle along at a breakneck pace, with opener ‘From The Abyss’ being particularly violent with its slam inspired breakdown and flashes of technical flair.
The drum work is certainly highly competent, with the standard blast beat and kick drum attack executed with extreme tightness and the highest proficiency. Yet for all the skill involved, there is nothing in the drumming performance that could not be found on a glut of other death metal records.
For a first full length release, Fleshrot have shown an exciting maturity in song writing and a level of musicianship that suggests that they could be a huge force in extreme music. The subtle nuances that give their music an accessible flavour are placed tastefully and stylishly into the brutal onslaught, and the individual performances display a substantial level of skill. Traumatic Reconfiguration is a great death metal record, and affirms Fleshrot as a great death metal outfit.
