Tech Death Thursday: Fleshpyre
We’re jamming Fleshpyre’s debut today! Get in here for some meaty death metal.
Tech support:
- Rivers of Nihil just released an absolute monster of a prog death song, easily their best in my opinion. Give “The Silent Life” a listen, and look for Where Owls Know My Name on March 16th through Metal Blade.
- Speaking of insanely good prog jams, Augury also dropped a beast of a lead single. Illusive Golden Age is out through The Artisan Era on March 30th.
- I guess it’s the season of prog; Atlas Entity just wrapped up composition of their next album and are gearing up for recording. Hopefully, we’ll be hearing more from them soon.
This week’s band is likely going to be one that makes you scratch your head and wonder if I know what I’m doing (spoiler: I don’t), but they’re technical enough, and that’s all I really care about. Besides, once you get into it, I don’t think you’re going to mind too much either. This week’s band is Brasília’s Fleshpyre with their debut album Unburying the Horses of War, and it should be satisfying whether you’re into tech or not.
After a short introduction of the sounds of battle, the title track kicks things off with a lilting (yet menacing) triplet and tremolo riff with slick usage of harmonics. As the vocals and drums kick in, you’ll likely notice that this isn’t a particularly speedy or noodly song. That’s the case with the majority of Unburying; it’s focused more on groove and melody than virtuosity, and any flashy stuff feels more like a byproduct of the songwriting than its focus. That’s not to say there aren’t some technical aspects, of course, and the fact that they aren’t the primary driving force of the music makes them hit that much harder.
There’s a lot of variety between songs as well. “Nous” leans into the more technical side of things, bringing some tricky riffs and counterpoint into the fold (as well as what I believe is the album’s sole guitar solo). The one-two punch of mid-tempo brawlers “Bodily Ecstasy” and “The Wanderer” offer up some prime headbanging material. “Fleshpyre” is a bit more mercurial, swinging wildly between double- and half-time riffs, toying with some progressive time signatures and nasty melodies in the middle. “March of Defeat” is fast and dissonant, and “Perpetrator” serves as an excellent finisher by combining all the disparate elements of the preceding tracks into something cohesive.
Even with all these different aspects to their sound, Unburying sounds focused and complete. Clocking in at just over half an hour, no second is wasted; they establish a theme, explore a couple variations, and move on before it gets the chance to grow stale. The band has a clearly defined style that comes through regardless of what they’re playing; think along the lines of a more reined-in Winds era Decapitated and you’ll be on the right track. The performances are all good (with the drummer really stealing the show in a few places- he has some sweet fills and little bits of flair that add a lot of personality to his beats), and the tone and mix are solid all around. I do wish they had flexed their progressive muscles a little more throughout- I feel like they’re at their peak when they experiment- but the album is fun if not necessarily challenging.
Unburying the Horses of War is out now, available directly from the band for the low, low price of free. Check out the description in the video for a download link. Be sure to send your regards to Fleshpyre on Facebook as well; let them know the Toilet appreciates them! That’s all for now, and as always,
Do you have a band you would like to see featured? A new release we should keep an eye on? Or maybe you want to do some writing yourself? Then email us at techdeathtovh@gmail.com and make your voice heard!
