Review Summary: Fleshgod Apocalypse greatly expand their Classical influences and craft their most musically and sonically intense album yet.
Death metal is a genre where one can easily fall into banality, Fleshgod Apocalypse emerges as one of the more interesting death metal bands out there. Like Necrophagist, they have very strong classical influences in their music, but unlike them, Fleshgod Apocalypse go the extra mile by wearing tuxedos when they play live to reinforce that image.
Oracles is an impressive debut, already defining the band's penchant for classically themed melodies. The Mafia EP, while short, is a slight progression of their sound, with the addition of bassist Paolo Rossi's high shrieks. Things look promising for the young band, it was a sign of things to come. Fleshgod Apocalypse's music always had strong classical influences and several of their songs have orchestral interludes. On Agony, they greatly expand that element of their sound and make the orchestra a dominating element of the album, making this a complete dive into Symphonic Death Metal, they've even recruited a female opera singer for one of their songs. Fleshgod Apocalypse know exactly how they want to sound, and it reflects perfectly in the production quality. Oracles and Mafia had something what I call a "wall of sound" production, everything hits you in the face but it is at a sweet spot where it is not overbearing a la Death Magnetic. Agony is no different, with the orchestral element a dominating presence, they have augmented their already intense sound.
After the ominous-sounding intro "The Temptation", the album blasts off at 300bpm and doesn't let up until the final number "Agony", which is a haunting piano solo. It seems to be a tradition of theirs to have a piano solo at the end of an album. Highlights include "The Violation", of which the main theme is a musical nod to Mozart's Symphony No.40, the heavy and chugging "The Egoism", which is a headbanging favorite (actually all of them are) with a climactic female soprano solo in the middle of the song. It is obvious the members of Fleshgod Apocalypse have a deep knowledge of classical music, the orchestrations are meticulous and nothing sounds out of place. The segue between "The Deceit" and "The Violation" is a good example of more subtle orchestation (I swore I heard a bass clarinet), and a very dramatic buildup before it bursts into the latter. All the songs are written in B minor except for "The Forsaking" and "Agony" which is in E minor.
Tommaso Ricardi and Cristiano Trionfera are on guitars and vocals, throughout the album, they work hand in hand to provide a vicious dual vocal attack. Their vocals are not too prominent in the mix, overshadowed again by the orchestra. Since the focus has been shifted to the orchestra, their guitar solos don't sound as prominent either, but they play some very awesome solos when the song calls for it, especially in the outro of "The Hypocrisy" "The Betrayal" and "The Oppression", which I feel are perfectly placed, not too technical but they round off the song dramatically. The guitar solo in "The Violation" showcases some very well-executed sweeps. They employ a more Black Metal rasp on "The Forsaking", which is slower in pace and and evokes a sense of loss and hopelessness.
Paolo Rossi on bass has a strong presence on the album, although his bass playing is buried deep in the mix, his shrieked vocals are a defining element of the album and the band's current sound. In the choruses of "The Hypocrisy" "The Deceit" and "The Violation" to name a few, he will deliver a slow and "operatic" vocal solo over the band's intense sonic backdrop, he sings (shrieks) in the soprano register and as such he sounds strained and at the limit of his range, but that adds perfectly to the desperate and intense nature of their music.
Francesco Paoli is a powerhouse of a drummer, delivering some of the fastest blast beats there are in the industry. Garnering most of the praise from fans due to his inhuman playing, he claims to have only played drums for 3 years, but his skills sound far beyond that, a definite highlight of the album. However, there isn't much variation in his drumming, most of it consists of straight blasts and high speed fills. Francesco Ferrini is a relatively new member to the band, he plays keyboards and completes the band's current orchestra-heavy sound, he is the MVP of the album, providing all piano and orchestra sounds, Agony would not be what it is without his presence. Ferrini gets a brief chaotic keyboard solo in "The Oppression", his piano patch sound cuts through the sonic insanity and glimpses of his mastery of the instrument can be heard, I wish he would do more of these solos in the future.
I feel Fleshgod Apocalypse have taken a logical step forward with their sound by expanding their classical influences. However, I feel the orchestral element can only be taken so far before it starts to become repetitive and stale, while it certainly added to great dramatic effect on Agony, I cannot see this effect lasting beyond two albums. Those who are expecting a more guitar-heavy album like Oracles or Mafia will be disappointed, but this album is a wet dream for fans of Symphonic death or Symphonic metal in general. Fleshgod Apocalypse may only be two albums and one EP into their career, but they have already established themselves as a major force to be reckoned with. For me, Agony is the best album of 2011, they are firing on all levels on this album, every song is a standout and there are no let downs, so it gets a solid 5, I hope these guys have it in them to create a great follow-up to Agony as it sure is a very difficult album to top.
Recommended songs:
Temptation/The Hypocrisy
The Violation
The Egoism
The Oppression
