Videoclip of the Month!!!

Friday, August 12, 2011

Fleshgod Apocalypse - Mafia

Fleshgod Apocalypse - Mafia


Mafia is Fleshgod Apocalypse’s 2010 EP which was signed under the label Willow Tip Records. For all who don’t know, Fleshgod Apocalypse is a progressive brutal technical death metal band from Italy. These guys are renowned worldwide for their creativity and the leaders in this particular genre. Since their split back in 2008 and their album (Oracles) in 2009, these guys have catapulted themselves to the top of the metal ladder. Bands like this are only one in a million so what is the catch here? There must be something about these guys that make them so appealing. Well the first thing to point out about this band is obviously the technicality, and these guys go further than most bands have the ability to and even then they still have to write good music. So automatically, Fleshgod Apocalypse shouldn’t be insanely discredited for anything they have done.

The first thing that hits you about this album is of course the ferocity of the music. It hits you like a tonne of bricks falling from a ten story building. The band is definitely more technical than anything that has come before it and they have set the bar extremely high for themselves with the release of their debut album Oracles. Oracles was the ground breaking album that absolutely no one has seemed to have cloned to this date. And I’m not sure if people were expecting a new direction with this album, because people who didn’t want them to had their prayers answered. This album has the extreme technicality of Brain Drill with the melody and progressiveness of say… wait, nothing is like these guys. In fact, I don’t even think their old band Hour Of Penance will be seen as even good since Fleshgod Apocalypse has out done them.

Like I’ve mentioned before, these guys have a progressive side to them. So no they aren’t all out br00tality and mindless and incoherent insanity. They do have a sense of song structure and direction within their music. This is another thing that makes them quite special because there aren’t many bands who can write this kind of music, even other progressive technical death metal bands such as Obscura, Fleshgod Apocalypse is easily superior in the song writing department compared to Obscura.

The next thing that Fleshgod Apocalypse is known for is the symphonic and Orchestral elements in their music. Yep, they still have it from their original album Oracles but I think they might have eased back a little from Oracles. Instead of littering the ep with piano solos they chose to do it with guitars. I don’t think this is a bad problem though because piano or guitar the music is still excellent in most aspects. I think that the classical elements in their music go well with the title of the EP, “Mafia”. When people think of Mafia what do people think of? Tuxedos? Tommy Guns? The Godfather? I think that Fleshgod Apocalypse’s sound may reflect the intended themes in their music. Thompsons firing and the majestic, sophisticated Mafia society. Although I have no clue why there is just a random octopus on the front cover, could that be the drummer?

Although this is still an excellent album which is one of the best things to ever hit the technical death metal scene, this isn’t exactly the perfect release, sorry to rain on the parade. After listening to this a few times you cannot help the feeling of repetitiveness throughout the EP. The song structure and pace of music can get boring sometimes, but that rarely happens. I think the biggest problem with this EP is that it can and does get bland at times and even then the music is still going extremely fast, so speed isn’t everything. Another thing they have done here which I think was a mistake is how much space they have wasted on this EP. I have no problems with instrumentals and covers in an album, none at all. But when you have five tracks on an EP and one is an instrumental and another is a cover, that only gives us three complete songs. This EP is way too short.

Overall, this is still an impressive EP which will continue to bring some of the most impressive progressive technical death metal the world has ever seen. I think that Fleshgod Apocalypse has put Italy on the map for technical death metal and we sure won’t forget this. Fleshgod Apocalyse has unmatched capabilities in their music, no one is more technical and melodic at the same time as these guys. Not to mention their amazing song writing capabilities either, their song writing is second to none. It’s no wonder why these guys managed to become so popular in such a short time. I recommend this to all metal fans… everyone, this will definitely open fans to a whole new frontier of technical death. Furthermore I recommend the opening track Thru Our Scars because of the sheer awesomeness that is contained in this single song. I give Fleshgod Apocalypse’s Mafia a 16/20. 



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