Review Summary: The Flesh Prevails sees Fallujah turning up the atmosphere, while still maintaining the technicality and crushing song structures that got them here.
In this day and age, technical death metal has been done to death (no pun intended). It’s become all too familiar to hear a band being “different” for using a fretless bass or off-kilter time signatures. With
The Flesh Prevails, Fallujah show that they don’t have to stoop to the level of these other bands. After releasing a solid debut and a more promising three track EP, Fallujah have given fans something special. This album combines crushing death metal riffs with beautiful, atmospheric passages spread throughout. Technical song patterns have typically favored Fallujah in the past, and they are in full effect here again, displaying a band that is confident and hungry to get their name out there.
One thing that is noticeable of
The Flesh Prevails after the first few listens is that Fallujah have learned how to confidently start and finish an album, as the bookend tracks are two of the strongest ones here. On
Starlit Path, they open with a delicate combination of guitar and bass, intoxicating the listener instantly. The ethereal feeling builds until it explodes into brutal technicality, while still maintaining the guitar melodies, as well. With
Chemical Cave they rely more on their instrumental talents, including only three lines of lyrics. This stands out from other songs by combining the best aspects of everything that the album has achieved previously. The guitar work is passionate and melodic, and it guides the song to higher points. While Fallujah have added delicate moments to their music, this doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten how to deliver bone-crushing tracks. The band develops a barrage of thunderous riffs on
Carved From Stone and
Levitation, seemingly only attempting to assault the ears of the listener. The drums pound furiously across the songs and stand out as an important factor. This works, however, as again they are able to counter their aggressiveness with lighter moments, rather than simply sticking to a generic death metal formula.
The band is able to switch tactics at a moment’s notice, too. What’s impressive is how easily they’re able to combine riffs with intricate guitar patterns in a song, sometimes even utilizing both at the same time. This becomes apparent on the medley of
The Night Reveals and
The Flesh Prevails. These tracks are essentially one, as they integrate the same ideas and melodies into each other. Rather than simply recycling the same designs, however, the tracks build off one another, adding new concepts as they progress. While the former track is heavier and builds the main riffs of the medley, the latter is where the band really shine. They could easily have just used a standard death metal formula and copied the last track, but instead they go for something unique. The song collapses into an atmospheric setting, with the guitars quietly working with each other and a woman singing softly in the background. The solos are graceful, and the song builds with the drums thumping intriguingly behind. They close the track with the same crushing chorus used in the previous song, and end it before the listener has a chance to fathom what they just heard. This medley showcases the proficiency Fallujah have developed at their craft, and becomes an instant standout for the album.
A common complaint is that the album is overly produced and glossy. This is true, as many of the tracks do seem somewhat too polished for their own good. The mixing on this album detracts the enjoyment of it, and fans of lower production metal would likely be turned away from this. Also, with all of the atmosphere and ethereal techniques, some tracks tend to run together, and it becomes difficult to remember which melodies occur on which song after completing the album. However, with
The Flesh Prevails, Fallujah prove they are one of the more unique bands working today. While other death metal bands are content with assaulting fans with riff after riff, Fallujah instead have presented an intriguing album full of atmosphere and technicality, and one that is promising for their future aspirations.
Recommended Songs
Starlit Path
Carved From Stone
The Night Reveals/The Flesh Prevails
Chemical Cave
