Album Review: Carnival of Flesh by Fleshgore (Xtreem Music)

Ukrainian Brutal Death Metal band, Fleshgore, will release their brand new album, Carnival of Flesh, on the 20th of December via Xtreem Music.

Fleshgore formed in 2000, releasing their debut album, Killing Absorption, in 2003 before heading out on multiple tours to promote themselves. Their follow up, May God Strike Me Dead followed in 2006, and saw the band signed up and out on tour across Europe and the USA as well as becoming the first band from ex-USSR to perform on legendary Wacken Open Air. 2007 saw the band hitting Australia and the release of their 3rd album, Wake Up for Freedom. Between 2008 and 2011, Fleshgore struggled to hold a consistent line up, changing multiple times but still managing to release a 4th studio album in Defiance to Evil.

Those line up changes kept pestering them as they released a new EP titled Domain of Death in 2014, more changes and a new album in 2016 in Denial of the Scriptures, more changes a new EP, Godless, in 2018 before recent years finally saw the hard working band settle down. With a new vocalist in Michele and the original Fleshgore guitarist, Sad, returning to the mix, the band recorded this album, their 6th, Carnival of Flesh.

A hard working bunch, and a band who have been treading the extreme metal boards for 2 decades, they have a vast experience which bodes well for this listen. Alongside Michele on vocals, and the returning Sad on guitars, Fleshgore are Igor on guitars, Ruslan on vocals and bass and Ed on drums.

Carnival of Flesh brings us 10 meaty tracks to get our teeth in to starting with the dark and moody Distorted Lights. Thick, bassy chugs get the headbanging straight away before it explodes into brutality. Dark, guttural vocals hammer home the anger with a nice mix of tones through backing vocals. The drums are heavy and loose, the bass in prominent and swampy, the guitars punch out riffs with little touches of more melodic tones to just break up the filth. Its structurally pleasing too, with nice transitions and changes in pace and rhythm. Its a strong start.

Carnival of Flesh, the title track, is a vicious attack on the sense with a really dirty, nasty tone and some horrific vocals, in a good way. I do enjoy the mix up of tones – that’s so important to stop this style of metal becoming too monotone or monotonous. The drumming is fantastic too and within the hard and heavy attack, there is a chunky slab of groove that forces movement too. Inhuman Existence is an absolute banger. That intro is fast and hard but exciting with a banging riff. The back and forth vocals are great and the drums stand out again. The slow down in this one will catch you too, a squeal of guitars and then suddenly we are into that thick and chunky stomping style. I love it, well played Fleshgore.

We carry on with Buried Truth and Modern Arts of Slavery. The former really working the guitars with some interesting screeching riffs. Its a longer song, at nearly 5 minutes which gives the band time to move through different phases. Always heavy, always intense but at times grooving, at others pummelling, even ending with a faded melodic outro. The latter, a short blast track that goes for the throat from the start. It has a wicked rhythm to it with some more expert drumming and riff combinations. Those grooving patterns continue throughout, just slightly changing in pace and tone, to keep the song, and the whole of Carnival of Flesh sounding fresh with very little feeling of repetition.

Hive of Insanity keeps that same style coming – brutally heavy, violent vocals with guitars, bass and drums creating a masterful mix of different patterns and sounds to keep the flow of the song interesting and make you desperate for a mosh pit. Invisible Reality and Frail Utopia are short, sharp blasts of filthy extreme metal with plenty to enjoy both in pace and rhythm. As we enter the end game of the album, starting with the deeper meaning of War is an Amusement, you have to reflect back on the quality Fleshgore have delivered here on Carnival of Flesh.

We aren’t done yet and this penultimate track hits even darker and deeper vocal tones again in a song that sounds like fury captured on record. Sinister, angry, this is exceptional extreme music. Wait for that surprising solo to hit you half way through as well – god damn, that is fucking awesome. So we sadly reach the end of this monstrous piece of work with the song, Ad Astra. This is yet another banger with some really neat rolling rhythms and plenty of that chunky bass driven groove. Another screaming solo absolutely elevates this track massively too and brings an exceptionally good album to a close.

Carnival of Flesh is a cracking album, full of chunky, dirty heaviness. The drums really stand out with tons of interesting and exciting patterns alongside the expected blast beats and speed. The bass is thick and sludgy, keeping the tone of the songs deep down in the sewers and the vocals, especially with the mix of tone, sound passionately angry and are chock full of depth. The guitars hit so many banging riffs throughout the album with occasional moments of melody before those solos drop in the last couple songs. Fleshgore have some real talent.

If I had to question anything, it would be why on earth would you not make more use of those solos. It seems they were saved for the final two tracks and really could have been used more across the album. A minor thing though as for the most part, I just thoroughly enjoyed banging my head and listening along to an album that will offer anyone who doesn’t care for Christmas, a different style of music to listen to and get excited about in that week.

This is a brilliant album, well worth your time so make sure you grab a preorder from Xtreem Music, here.

Fleshgore Links

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