Album Review: Flub – Flub (The Artisan Era)

Flub will release their self-titled album on June 7th via The Artisan Era. The Sacramento, California-based experimental death metal group’s impressive pedigree includes Alterbeast vocalist Michael Alvarez, ex-Vale of Pnath guitarist Eloy Montes, Rivers Of Nihil drummer Jared Klein, and bassist Matthew Mud.

Flub was formed in 2013 by Michael, Eloy, and Jared before the three of them made a name for themselves in other well-known death metal groups in the last few years. Now the time is right for Flub to return with their most mature music to date.

The band had this to say:

“4 years and many obstacles later, we are stoked to finally be able to showcase our upcoming self-titled album under The Artisan Era brand. This album brings Flub’s strongest foot forward in all aspects. We worked to make the energy intense with complexity, yet soothing and rhythmic when appropriate. Playing with different sounds and styles to create a new realm beyond our previous releases.

The album front to back takes you for a journey and a range of emotions, embracing chaos without sacrificing melody and thought out songwriting. Lyrically, each song on the album reaches back to our previously released material in some sort of way while continuing to provide new details to the overall storyline.

The story tells of a hero who has failed their mission and is left to wander the realm without a reason to carry on, The hero eventually finds themselves on the brink of death and are recalling memories of sorrow and regret in their last moments. As the hero is fading away, they are discovered by a dark entity, the entity itself offers the hero a second chance to live, he would escape death but in return, the entity will possess the hero’s body to carry out its own mission, to bring upon the end of mother nature.”

There’s a little more experimentation within Flub’s sound to make this release that little more interesting and less run of the mill death metal. Sitting comfortably in the middle of tech-death and modern death, it’s a multi-faceted approach.

Giving us such excellent tracks as Last Breath, Umbra Mortis and Rise from Your Grave. With the viciousness of the heaviness, the complexities of the technical groove and the surprising amount of catchy melodies, we have an album that really stands out.

With only seven tracks, it’s over far too quickly and leaving you hungry for more. With technical death metal this good, who wouldn’t!?

It’s always good to see some ambition within death metal and Flub certainly have it. Not only that but the talent within their ranks makes that ambition seem all the more realised.

Flub – Flub Full Track Listing:

1. Last Breath
2. Blossom
3. Umbra Mortis
4. Dream
5. Rise From Your Grave
6. Rebirth
7. Wild Smoke

The album can be ordered via Bandcamp here and merch bundles via The Artisan Era here. Find out more about Flub on Facebook and Instagram.