Fleshwolf - Fleshwolf
“Fleshwolf” is the self titled debut from solo UK act Marty Robinson. Paying homage to the late 90s raw death metal sound that is populated by groups such as Dismember, Bloodbath, and Grave, one can instantly see where the music is going with the opening track’s crunching guitar. ‘The Rot’ hits hard and fast with throaty vocals- although they’re more of the hardcore style as opposed to traditional growl- and mid paced, rhythmic drums. The guitar solos cut through the distorted riffs like butter though, so Robinson’s guitar talent is not lost. On other tracks like ‘Trench’ and ‘Deathstare’ are less solo focused and let the drums take over pummeling the listener along with the buzz saw guitar sound. The vocals even aim for a deeper tone to try to aim more for the style that so many are used to.
One thing that Fleshwolf does well is make the riffs catchy and almost mixed with some death n’ roll as opposed to being just a steamroll force of guitars, drums, and vocals. ‘Of The Night’ shows a strong shift from fast solos to slower, doomier moments and overall a chugging, dark tone that will definitely hearken back to tracks like ‘Morbid Funeral’ from Bloodbath. It is grim, evil, and everything that old school death metal should sound like. Sadly, there are not enough tracks like this as they bring more depth to the album. Others like ‘Dark Corners’ still have that groove element, but it is much faster and less melancholic. The faster tracks will certainly be pit favorites, but in the whirlwind of distorted guitar sometimes the drums are lost in the mix, and the bass is certainly drowned out if there really is any.
The only frustrating thing about the album is that it seems like it was meant to run as one long death metal track for 32 minutes. Lots of the endings of tracks like ‘The Rot’ and ‘Transcend’ seem to cut off instantly and then cut to the next track, which still seems to feature a riff or section similar to the one before it. Not every track does it, but if Fleshwolf was going for a “Crimson” or “Winter’s Gate” touch on the album he probably could have easily put everything together for a crushing epic. Deathspell Omega does it all the time on their albums- taking one long narrative and splitting between a few tracks- so there is no reason Fleshwolf couldn’t do the same if that is what they were aiming for. Still, despite a few disconnects, Robinson shows he knows how to deliver well crafted ‘old school’ death metal firing on all cylinders without the use of samples or long keyboard moments to break it up. He knows his drums, guitar, and bass (when it cuts through the distortion at times) so those who like a gritty tone to their music with grim lyrical content that isn’t so much Cannibal-Corpsey will find this skullpounder a good listen.
3 / 5 STARS
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One thing that Fleshwolf does well is make the riffs catchy and almost mixed with some death n’ roll as opposed to being just a steamroll force of guitars, drums, and vocals. ‘Of The Night’ shows a strong shift from fast solos to slower, doomier moments and overall a chugging, dark tone that will definitely hearken back to tracks like ‘Morbid Funeral’ from Bloodbath. It is grim, evil, and everything that old school death metal should sound like. Sadly, there are not enough tracks like this as they bring more depth to the album. Others like ‘Dark Corners’ still have that groove element, but it is much faster and less melancholic. The faster tracks will certainly be pit favorites, but in the whirlwind of distorted guitar sometimes the drums are lost in the mix, and the bass is certainly drowned out if there really is any.
The only frustrating thing about the album is that it seems like it was meant to run as one long death metal track for 32 minutes. Lots of the endings of tracks like ‘The Rot’ and ‘Transcend’ seem to cut off instantly and then cut to the next track, which still seems to feature a riff or section similar to the one before it. Not every track does it, but if Fleshwolf was going for a “Crimson” or “Winter’s Gate” touch on the album he probably could have easily put everything together for a crushing epic. Deathspell Omega does it all the time on their albums- taking one long narrative and splitting between a few tracks- so there is no reason Fleshwolf couldn’t do the same if that is what they were aiming for. Still, despite a few disconnects, Robinson shows he knows how to deliver well crafted ‘old school’ death metal firing on all cylinders without the use of samples or long keyboard moments to break it up. He knows his drums, guitar, and bass (when it cuts through the distortion at times) so those who like a gritty tone to their music with grim lyrical content that isn’t so much Cannibal-Corpsey will find this skullpounder a good listen.
3 / 5 STARS
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1. The Rot
2. Trench
3. Static
4. Transcend
5. Deathstare
6. Of The Night
7. Dark Corners
8. Born Of Anger
2. Trench
3. Static
4. Transcend
5. Deathstare
6. Of The Night
7. Dark Corners
8. Born Of Anger
