FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE - Agony CD Review

ARTIST: Fleshgod Apocalypse
TITLE: Agony
LABEL: Nuclear Blast
YEAR: 2011
REVIEWED BY: Caroline Restiaux

If you ever wonder what good 'symphonic brutal death metal' should sound like then listen to 'Agony' which is the 3rd album from Italian metal quintet Fleshgod Apocalypse. The band has been compared to Dimmu Borgir for quite sometime now however I just can't agree with that statement. With DM's last couple of releases I've been left with a bitter taste in my mouth, FA however make me want to hear more. The band has also been scrutinized a bit about not being original (I totally disagree) in the extreme metal category. It's fair to say that everyone has a right to their own opinion and mine is that this album is a masterpiece.

Let's start from the beginning of the album with Temptation 'which is an intro' and if you've read any of my other reviews you'll know my thoughts on intros, I say scrap them and give me what I want right away. This would sound a bit greedy but if you are in a studio paying good money to make a cd use the time to create something crushing rather than a filler. Now that that's out of the way on to the important stuff. 'Agony' is filled with brutality, technical wizardry and symphonics. Although a little more symphonic than their other releases 'Oracles' and 'Mafia' the band still brings out the intensity in their drumming and their riffs alike. I do admit that the symphonics take away from the guitars just a bit but not so much that it is unheard and left out of the mix. Some of the riffage on the cd is very memorable like in 'The Deceit' however I do think that it plays second fiddle to the drumming for most of the album. Francesco Paoli is a friking machine on his drums. I got to scratch my head at moments to wonder if somehow it was recorded with a drum machine. I mean it's just that precise and dude doesn't miss a beat. With all of the elements being shared in these songs it is hard to really focus that much attention to Paolo Rossi's bass playing, but not to worry because he brings out the clean vocals on the release. Not a huge fan of them vocals to be honest but then again I was not fond of them on the other releases either. I think they would have been better left out here. Another little downfall would be the title track or should I say outro 'Agony' which was another wasted bit of space. I mean we get it, we've heard the whole album by this point and we know that there can be a softer side to you guys. Intros + Outros = Wasted Space and time.

Overall, I rather enjoyed the album. 'Agony' will be the trend setter for newer extreme metal bands wanting to experiment with symphonics. Fleshgod Apocalypse puts a twist on brutal death metal with the blood of Antonio Vivaldi. If you are a fan of brutal death metal or a fan of symphonic metal or even both this release is for you. It's not going to make my top 10 because there are so many other killer albums coming out this year but it will be making an honorable mention when all is said and done. Be sure to check it out!

TRACKLISTING:

01. Temptation
02. The Hypocrisy
03. The Imposition
04. The Deceit
05. The Violation
06. The Egoism
07. The Betrayal
08. The Forsaking
09. The Oppression
10. Agony