Archive for Fleshgod Apocalypse

Fleshgod Apocalypse release new video for The Forsaking!

Posted in News with tags , , , , , on 22nd December 2012 by Nico Davidson

Fleshgod Apocalypse have released their new video for The Forsaking, taken from their most recent album Agony.

The video was originally meant to premiere on Metal Hammer’s website but  the band released the video via Nuclear Blast’s YouTube channel. The video can be viewed below. The band stated the following on their official Facebook regarding the change of plans for the video’s release: “Folks! Apparently we must fix this Fleshgod Apocalypse style. The wait is enough for everybody. Since nothing seems to move on Metal Hammer, we decided to release the video through the Nuclear Blast channel! It’ll be featured on many zines and portals. We want to thank you all for being patient and for keeping on supporting us. We’re sure the wait has been worthy. Now it’s up to you: SHARE AND MAKE SURE ALL THE FUCKING PEOPLE YOU KNOW SHARE IT!!! \,,/”

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Fleshgod Apocalypse w/Support @ The Lamp, Hull

Posted in Gig, Live with tags , , , , , , on 14th March 2012 by Nico Davidson

Bands: Fleshgod Apocalypse, Dyscarnate, Bloodshot Dawn, Infernal Creation, Battallions, Downside
Location: The Lamp, Hull
Date: 12th March

This was the second time this year that Italian death metal kings Fleshgod Apocalypse had toured the UK, this time they were headlining (last time, they were the support for The Black Dahlia Murder). There was a small buzz of excitement in The Lamp that matched the small crowd. Opening up the show was Downfall, a band that has proved near enough impossible to find details about. Whilst they put on a good show, they sounded quite bland despite their brutalising use of fierce riffs and cataclysmic vocals.

Shortly after Downfall’s set, came Hull-based sludge metal outfit Battallions. I’d heard a lot of good things about these over the past few weeks, so I had high expectations of them. One thing that truly impressed me about their set was the heaviness of the bass, it just seemed to ring out with more power and volume compared to the guitars, fortunately, the guitars were still audible though. The vocals were nothing short of vicious and blood thirsty, oddly blending with the almost doom metalesqe tempo of the music. I think it’s safe to say that they passed my expectations.

Aside from Fleshgod, one of the bands I was impatiently awaiting was none other that Yorkshire’s premier black metal quartet Infernal Creation. They opened up their set with an overwhelming performance of War Is Worship. Despite frontman Neiph’s ailing health on the night, he still executed his vocal duties like a well-placed axe during in a decapitation. Infernal Creation’s performance was extremely charismatic, allowing for their music to sound more menacing and wild. And as they had announced on their Facebook page, they were debuting a new song, entitled The Mother Of Fire, which for me was the pinnacle of their performance. The intro reminded of Megadeth’s Washington In Next whilst the vocals seemed to possess a My Dying Bride flavour to the sound. The song, itself, is unique in the way that it blends a certain mystifying atmosphere with a force of unrelenting brutality.

When Bloodshot Dawn took the stage, I had already missed some of their set due to having to nip to the takeaway. What I heard of their set was impressive, from the snarling and powerful vocals to the flawlessly performed riffs. The band had to cut their set short which was disappointing but thy at least played Godless, one of my favourite tracks from their new album, before finishing up was becoming an enchanting performance of sheer metal domination. The main support of the night came in the form of the metal trio Dyscarnate. Their shredding riffs and overall monstrous sound brought them a very positive crowd response. Their set was certainly one of the most lively ones of the night. Cain and Abel was my favourite part of the set.

And finally, the highlight of the night and the reason that a lot of the crowd were gathered at The Lamp: Fleshgod Apocalypse. As they opened up their set, the strong classical sound that dominates their music echoed throughout the venue. On thing I noticed straight away was the weakness of the sound, the fault lied with the sound engineer that was touring with them. Despite the weaker-than-usual sound, Fleshgod still performed well and created the hypnotic atmosphere that comes hand-in-hand with their music. The clean vocals were stop on as were the growls. The guitars just seemed to roar through the speakers, the riffs perfectly executed, as were the keyboard and rhythm sections. The Violation certainly went down with the crowd, creating the biggest response of the night though the performance of that song paled in comparison to the performance of The Imposition.

Overall, the show felt a little rushed, especially with Bloodshot having to cut their set short and the job the sound guy did for Fleshgod was disappointing but it was an enjoyable show, to say the least. The supporting acts (mainly Infernal, Battallions and Bloodshot) were just as impressive as Fleshgod. I’m hoping that Fleshgod Apocalypse make another UK appearance later in the year and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the aforementioned support acts again.

Nico Davidson

Photography by David Ferret Taylor.

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Bloodshot Dawn – Self-Titled

Posted in CD, Metal with tags , , , , , , on 5th March 2012 by Nico Davidson

Band: Bloodshot Dawn
Album: Bloodshot Dawn (Self-Titled)
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Release Date: 5th March 2012
Label: Self Released

Having formed almost a decade ago, Bloodshot Dawn have rising through the ranks of the British death scene since their formation in 2003. Their UK tour kicks off tomorrow as they support the mighty Italian powerhouse Fleshgod Apocalypse, while today sees the release of their debut, self-titled album which had been composed for almost two years and finally recorded in Rome in late 2011.

The enchanting and atmospheric keyboards of Beckoning Oblivion start the album, adding a strong orchestrated feel to the track, much like that of Dimmu Borgir, Children of Bodom and the aforementioned Fleshgod Apocalypse. When the guitars finally kick in, it’s apparent that this is going to be to one hell of an album. The vocals are a small reminder of Gorod, helping build up the strong death metal sound. The guitars are more melodic than I expected yet they keep a constant flow of destructive bite, something a lot of melodic death metal bands fail to do, in my opinion. The two solos, provided by frontman Josh McMorran and lead guitarist Benjamin Ellis, fend off a potential stale sound, keeping the song fresher than a freshly picked apple.

Dedication to a Dead Cause starts with a very thrash-orientated sound before progressing into a Death-meets-Ex Deo combination. The bass, provided by Anthony Ridout, gives the song a very defined sound, while the vocals give it a character of brutality. Forlorn World takes the album down a less-melodic road. The drums and guitars add a sound more violent than an old school ECW match, the vocals on the other don’t seem to sound right with the riffs, like they have on the past two tracks – It could just be the way the track was mixed in the studio, as opposed to any flaw in the actual composition. Remember when I said this track is less melodic? Yeah? Well, I lied. The solos bring back the melodic elements, sort of like a heavier Iron Maiden but the track soon changes back to a pounding onslaught of aggression.

The next track is the free-to-download single, Godless. Musically, the song sounds like a combination of the last three tracks with some newer elements but that doesn’t stop it from sounding awesome. The vocals have stepped up since the last track as well, contrasting well with the riffs. Some of the riffs sound quite Arch Enemy and Children of Bodom-esque. The fast-paced, melodic stylings of Visions takes the album by storm next, doubling the dose of aggression and savagery in the music. In true death metal fashion, comes Sentiment Disease. The slower-paced intro acts well as a crescendo, building up into the main bulk of the song which is composed of acute drums and tantalising riffs, with a dash of aggressive and barbaric growls. The guest solo by Sebastian Nilsson [Aeon] is definitely a strong point in the album.

The Quantum Apocalypse has a quite unique sounding introduction, especially when compared to the previous tracks. The vocals seem to have taken on a Napalm Death/Children of Bodom sound, though they seem to be quiet compared to the guitar sections, which is very disappointing since McMorran’s vocals are enjoyable to listen to. The majority of the track feels quite tame and laid back causing it to be somewhat of a let down. The following track, Sickening Dogma, brings back the excitement and forces into the listener’s ears like a lethal injection. The bass riffs are quite distinct, amalgamating blazingly with the drum workings of Doug Anderson. The riffs have a quite melodic and groove sound to them, a plus for any groove metal fans out there. Slowly coming towards the end of the album comes Illusion Aesthetic. The riffs are merciless executed with intense precision, giving the song a very cutting-edge element. The drums ring out cruelly, keeping the song vicious which is always a plus.

Prototype acts pretty much as a guitar-orientated interlude between the previous track and the final part of the album, Archtype, which blasts its way through with a melodious guitar section that morphs into a savage assault of demonic vocals and skull destroying riffs. The track is quite agile, as well as disturbingly bloodthirsty. Prototype certainly lets the album end on an enraged note of sheer melodic brutality.

While I am left wondering why it’s taken them so long to finally release an album, I’m also left with a big impression of the band’s talent. The album, overall, is well worth the money and would fit into any metal fan’s collection. Some of the melodic use of guitars can be a bit tedious at times and while the vocal sections on a couple of the tracks are a bit disheartening, Bloodshot Dawn could easily have their own place in the history of death metal with this release.

4/5

Nico Davidson

Bloodshot Dawn begin their UK tour with Dyscarnate and Fleshgod Apocalypse tomorrow. Dates as followed:

6th – White Rabbit, Plymouth.
7th – Purple Turtle, London.
8th – The Lomax, Liverpool.
9th – The Pint, Dublin.
10th – The Parish, Huddersfield.
11th – Bannersman, Edinburgh.
12th – The Lamp, Hull.
13th – The Old Bell, Derby.
14th – Bogiez, Cardiff.

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The Black Dahlia Murder w/Support @ Corporation, Sheffield

Posted in Gig, Live with tags , , , on 20th January 2012 by Nico Davidson

Bands: The Black Dahlia Murder, Skeletonwitch, Fleshgod Apocalypse
Location: Corporation
Date: 19th January 2012


The Black Dahlia Murder/Skeletonwitch tour was one I’d been looking forward to since it was announced last year, though admittedly I’m only familiar with so much by both Black Dahlia and Skeletonwitch. After my interview with Ryan [which can be viewed here], I proceeded into the main area of the venue just as the masses began entering. The opening act were the Italian symphonic death metal quintet Fleshgod Apocalypse, who you’d think were more classical musicians as opposed to a metal band due to the way they dress on stage (providing you ignore the face paint). The crowd seemed mesmerised by the classical soundings of the keyboards and the ethereal lightshow that blended so mystically with the smoke. The use of strong vocals with vicious guitars were definitely impressive. the highlight of Fleshgod’s set was “The Hypocrisy”, which they’d opened their brutalising set with.

After 15 or so minutes, the American powerhouse of raw, unadulterated savagery Skeletonwitch. The band performed a truly barbaric set, utilising face-melting bass work mixed with roaring guitars and explosive drums. Chance proved he knows how to whip the crowd into a frenzy, especially with songs such as “Repulsive Salvation” – a song that he said is “about not going to church” – and “This Horrifying Form” – apparently about the desire to kill. The sound quality was superb through Skeletonwitch’s set as well. Once they had finished their set, they came down and had some beers with those of us in the crowd.

After a good 20 minutes, the main act of the night, none other than The Black Dahlia Murder, made their way to the stage to be greeted by a wild frenzy of cheers from those donning Black Dahlia shirts. The bassist, Bart, was absent as he’s currently back in the States doing studio stuff with other bands (Don’t worry, he’s still in the band) but the stand-in bassist played just as good as Bart. The frontman, Trevor, looked to be enjoying himself up on stage in between his fierce snarling, hate-fuelled vocal sections. The strong use of riffs from the guitarists was definitely as good as the studio stuff, especially for the performances of “Miasma” and “Necropolis”. The crowd certainly loved it all as they went crazy, even starting a moshpit that consumed the vast majority of the crowd. Black Dahlia, undeniably, have a great live sound and put on a great live show.

Nico Davidson

**Photography by David Ferret Taylor Photography.
Photos of the full show can be viewed here.**

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