The Italian death metal band FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE was always appreciated by the fans of death metal extreme metal generally. Their latest record, released two years ago, ‘Labyrinth’, offered a new perspective into the band’s music, as FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE created a mature concept record both in lyrical as well as musical parts. On February of 2016, the band will release its fourth record, titled ‘King’.
‘King’ is a concept record as well. Its meaning may be familiar to a lot of people, because we live in a world which sweeps into decay. The era we live in is considered by many the new Middle Age, as war, racism and violence take over and the old values of life are now dead. Inside the album, the story of a king is unfolding. The king is bound by his own court which tries to corrupt and control him, while he is trying to remain just for his kingdom’s sake. FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE encourages us to find the king inside us and let his light shine and reflect in our personal life.
In the specific record, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE bound together death metal with orchestral parts, classical organs and choir vocals. The Italian pioneers of extreme sound recorded the album in Kick Recording Studio and Jens Borgen is the one who mixed and mastered the tracks. As a result we have a solid record, a metal opera or a metal theatrical play. While the story unfolds, plenty of melodies and riffs are create the stage were the ‘actors’ perform. We have a combination of metal, harsh vocals and choir vocals. We can see the two of them combine perfectly in ‘Cold as Perfection’, one of the record’s most powerful song.
The music is dark, aggressive and the band did not abandon heavy riffs, fast-tempo drumming and brutality. The record is even more technical from ‘Labyrinth’, something which indicates and highlights the band’s maturity. ‘The Fool’ and ‘In Aeternum’ are a perfect example of how technical death metal can be combined with piano parts or choir vocals, in a fabulous outcome, explosive and alive. ‘Paramour’ is a song with operatic, female vocals and piano parts; a classical music break which outlines the record in two parts.
Clean vocals along with brutal ones are perfectly combined in songs like ‘In Aeternum’ and ‘And the Vulture Beholds’, giving a tone of pluralism in the tracks and ‘King’ generally. I know that it does not fit well with the character of FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, but I would love to see the band emphasize more in melodies rather than in the complexity. ‘King’ is a complex record and one must give time to it in order to get deeply involved into its meaning and story. The record constructs a whole world and will easily be adored by those who have an experience into record that meddle classical music’s elements along with extreme metal.
‘King’ is a whirlwind for death metal fans. It is addictive and mature, a metal theatrical play which will put the listener into deep contemplation. In their fourth album, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE managed to outplay ‘Labyrinth’ and create an outcome absolutely remarkable for the years to come.
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