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#Aethereus

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Angry Metal Guy<p><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/fleshbore-painted-paradise-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fleshbore – Painted Paradise Review</a></p><p><i>By Kenstrosity</i></p><p>Starting the year off strong on the album art front, Indianapolis’ technical death metal quartet <strong><strong>Fleshbore</strong></strong> adorn their sophomore record <em>Painted Paradise</em> with an idyllic landscape—courtesy of one Mark Erskine—that lives up to its title. Naturally, I was drawn to this depiction, knowing full well that those tunes which lurk just beneath may strike a darker, nastier tone altogether. Then again, extreme metal can be a fickle beast, and the promo sump even more so. That leaves me no choice but to dive right in like Mary Poppins into a chalk mural in the asphalt. And away we go!</p><p>If, like me, you play the game of “guess the sound by the artwork,” you might expect <strong><strong>Fleshbore</strong></strong> to align with technical death legends <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/fallujah-empyrean-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Fallujah</strong></a>. Guess again, hotshot. There’s nothing remotely atmospheric about <strong><strong>Fleshbore</strong></strong>’s approach. Instead, both 2021’s <em>Embers Gathering</em> and this year’s upcoming <em>Painted Paradise</em> trudge the serrated, blood-soaked trenches scoured by now-defunct touchstones <strong>Necrophagist</strong> and <strong>Spawn of Possession</strong>. Modernized with a subtle melodic bent and machine gun bars reminiscent of <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/archspire-bleed-the-future-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Archspire</strong></a>, and paired with a spewing vocal tone shared with acts like <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/aethereus-leiden-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Aethereus</strong></a>, <strong><strong>Fleshbore</strong></strong> offer a sound that is at once deeply familiar to fans of the style and just barely distinct enough to start pulling away from the standard tech-death conglomerate.</p><p></p><p>When <em>Painted Paradise</em> hits hardest, it punches far above its weight class. Starting strong with opener “Setting Sun,” <strong><strong>Fleshbore</strong></strong> make an impressive first impression with crushing, high-tech riffing, and shredding lead work. The <strong>Spawn of Possession</strong> influence is strong here, but <strong><strong>Fleshbore</strong></strong>’s particular application of melody effortlessly straddles the boundary from their uncompromising inspirations and something altogether bouncier and more playful. Re-upping its riff payload with mid-album highlights “Inadequate” and “The Ancient Knowledge,” and signing off on another one-two detonation between “Painted Paradise” and “Laplace’s Game,” <em>Painted Paradise</em>’s back half maintains a relentless momentum that pulls more of that darkness which brought definition to <strong><strong>Fleshbore</strong></strong>’s relative levity at the start back to the fore. In this way, <strong><strong>Fleshbore</strong></strong> integrated much-appreciated dynamics from a wider perspective than on a simple song-by-song basis. Consequently, <em>Painted Paradise</em> makes for a deeply engaging, cohesive experience when given intent focus.</p><p></p><p>On the other hand, some of <strong><strong>Fleshbore</strong></strong>’s ambitious detailing threatens to derail that same experience. The initial source of this concern comes from the vocals. <em>Embers Gathering</em> offered plenty of rapid verse work that coalesced perfectly with the surrounding instrumentation. On <em>Painted Paradise</em>, attempts to push for an increased rate of lyrical fire result in a slight, but noticeable disconnect between the pacing of individual performances. Most clearly heard on earlier verses of “The World” and especially on the isolated, quasi-a-capella segments of “Target Fixation,” these vocal reaches cause palpable discomfort to these ears. I yearn for simpler lines that better support the songs themselves rather than requiring a vocalist to push the upper limits of their skill set. In other areas, less inspired riffing and cookie-cutter passages conspire to undermine <em>Painted Paradise</em>’s bid for tech-death domination. As examples, “Target Fixation” and “Wandering Twilight” offer plenty of quality portions that would easily satisfy the appetites of tech-death fans, but they lack the same impressive vivaciousness of <em>Painted Paradise</em>’s stronger cuts, thereby compromising listener immersion. Additionally, for those sensitive to production characteristics, <em>Painted Paradise</em>’s glossy finish and plastic snare tone might abrade the sensibilities of those wishing for a nastier palette to better complement <strong><strong>Fleshbore</strong></strong>’s vicious writing.</p><p>Rating <em>Painted Paradise</em> posed an interesting challenge when it came time to finalize my assessment. Initially, I was so put off by the floundering, albeit admirable, attempt to match <strong>Archspire</strong>’s words-per-second speed that I couldn’t lock into the rest of the content presented. In time, that avoidant impulse subsided enough that I could appreciate the greater quality of <strong><strong>Fleshbore</strong></strong>’s latest work. When it comes down to it, <em>Painted Paradise</em> is a strong early entry into 2025’s tech death canon, sure to appeal to fans of the style and likely to attract new blood to the ranks. At the very least, it solidifies <strong><strong>Fleshbore</strong></strong>’s status as a band to watch.</p> <p><strong>Rating:</strong> Good<br><strong>DR:</strong> 6 | <strong>Format Reviewed:</strong> 320 kb/s mp3<br><strong>Label:</strong> <a href="https://tometal.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Transcending Obscurity Records</a><br><strong>Websites:</strong> <a href="http://fleshbore.bandcamp.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">fleshbore.bandcamp.com</a> | <a href="http://facebook.com/fleshbore" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">facebook.com/fleshbore</a><br><strong>Releases Worldwide:</strong> January 24th, 2025</p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/30/" target="_blank">#30</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/aethereus/" target="_blank">#Aethereus</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/american-metal/" target="_blank">#AmericanMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/archspire/" target="_blank">#Archspire</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/death-metal/" target="_blank">#DeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/fleshbore/" target="_blank">#Fleshbore</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/jan25/" target="_blank">#Jan25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/necrophagist/" target="_blank">#Necrophagist</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/painted-paradise/" target="_blank">#PaintedParadise</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/spawn-of-possession/" target="_blank">#SpawnOfPossession</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/tech-death/" target="_blank">#TechDeath</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/technical-death-metal/" target="_blank">#TechnicalDeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/transcending-obscurity-records/" target="_blank">#TranscendingObscurityRecords</a></p>
Angry Metal Guy<p><strong><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/blighted-eye-agonys-bespoke-review/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Blighted Eye – Agony’s Bespoke Review</a></strong></p><p><i>By Thus Spoke</i></p><p>In crafting their debut LP, <em>Agony’s Bespoke</em>, <strong>Blighted Eye</strong> claims to draw heavy inspiration from Jennifer Kent’s 2018 film <em>The Nightingale. </em>The film follows an Irish ex-convict seeking revenge on the British settlers who raped her and murdered her husband and infant child.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/blighted-eye-agonys-bespoke-review/#fn-203043-1" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">1</a> Its honest portrayal of the hollowness of vengeance and the psychological impact of trauma are aspects <strong>Blighted Eye</strong> aims to transfer to its own interpretation of transformative tragedy. In the appropriately epic span of an hour, <em>Agony’s Bespoke</em> weaves a tapestry of hauntingly familiar progressive death and black metal that hides a few gut-wrenching punches in its deceptively cerebral folds.</p><p>The unlikely convergence of technical death metal and funeral doom gives rise to <strong>Blighted Eye</strong>’s stirring character. With members from <strong>Aethereus</strong> on guitars, vocals, and bass respectively, and a drummer from acts <strong>Mesmur </strong>and <strong>Pantheist</strong>, <strong>Blighted Eye</strong>’s pedigree is steeped in two very different interpretations of grandiosity and heady emotionality. Not that there’s more than a hint of doominess about <em>Agony’s Bespoke</em>, but the influence is noteworthy, as it helps produce an unusually affective strain of progressive extreme metal. I’m reminded of a hybrid of <strong>Hath</strong> and <strong>Alustrium, </strong>and even some <strong>Wake</strong>-isms rear their head, not purely in terms of literal sound, but in the intense feeling expressed in an otherwise niche, inaccessible musical style. From the many vibrant charges of frenetic, key-changing guitarwork and rhythmic complexity, to the swooping soloing and occasional moments of stillness, a strong thread of pathos runs unbroken through the album.</p><p></p><p>The use of intricate, extreme instrumentality to compel rather than alienate the listener is where <strong>Blighted Eye </strong>shows its mettle. Acrobatic solos don’t just dazzle with technicality, they impress in their development of the predominantly mournful themes (“In Enmity,” “A Feast for Worms”). Undulating, punctuating percussion isn’t just exhilarating and groovy, its tempo changes and crescendos sway the listener to the rhythm of <em>Agony’s Bespoke</em>’s tragedy, telling us when to breathe and when to release the tension wrought in clashing dissonance and torrential blastbeats (“The Wounding,” “Howls from Beyond the Mist,” “A Reverent Stillness”). And the key to it all is some of the most beautiful refrains technical death metal has to offer. With a shivery lick of excitement comes the tumbling main melody of opener “Tragoedia,” almost out of nowhere, yet inevitable from the restless anticipation of cymbal shuffling, and gradually intensifying riffs. With plaintive urgency, wailing lines (“In Emnity,” “Pallid,” and “A Reverent Stillness”) and blackened tirades (“The Wounding”) work together with vicious roars to smash open your ribcage and wrench your heart out of your chest, as the tempos batter you about in this tempest of emotion to the bounce of a fluttering riff (“Tragoedia,” “A Reverent Stillness”).</p><p></p><p>The only thing holding <strong>Blighted Eye</strong> back is ambition. As stirring as <em>Agony’s Bespoke </em>is, its strength is diluted by the runtime that overextends the reach of even the strongest tracks beyond their grasp. No song, save the short interlude, “Nightingale,”<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/blighted-eye-agonys-bespoke-review/#fn-203043-2" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2</a> is less than six minutes long, and most could stand to lose a minute or so. There is the sense that the band had so many great ideas, they wanted to include them all. Take, for instance, the decisively dissonant death metal that characterizes “Pallid,” and the haunting, bleating cleans that arise here and there (“Howls from Beyond the Mist,” and the title track). The former is brilliantly executed, and leads to one of the best cuts on the album, though tonally it sticks out and is a little underdeveloped. The latter fits more naturally into the stylistic template but is a tad less strong. The music would also have benefitted from a more spacious mix that would allow its layered intricacies to allow the room to breathe and deliver the impact it is capable of. It’s nothing that can’t be improved upon and tightened up in the next release, though.</p><p><em>Agony’s Bespoke</em> is, despite its flaws, a powerful record, and one for whom even the sin of an overlong runtime can’t truly detract from the impact it leaves on its audience. As it draws to a close, you do feel as though you’ve been on a journey, one whose peaks are worth its valleys. If this is what <strong>Blighted Eye </strong>can do in their debut, the scene had better be ready when they return to tell their next tale.</p> <p><strong>Rating</strong>: Very Good<br><strong>DR:</strong> 5 | <strong>Format Reviewed</strong>: 320 kb/s CBR mp3<br><strong>Label: </strong><a href="https://www.beyondthetoprecords.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Beyond the Top</a><br><strong>Websites</strong>: <a href="https://beyondthetoprecords.bandcamp.com/album/agonys-bespoke" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BlightedEye/?locale=en_GB" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br><strong>Releases Worldwide:</strong> September 20th, 2024</p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2024/" target="_blank">#2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/35/" target="_blank">#35</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/aethereus/" target="_blank">#Aethereus</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/agonys-bespoke/" target="_blank">#AgonySBespoke</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/alustrium/" target="_blank">#Alustrium</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/american-metal/" target="_blank">#AmericanMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/beyond-the-top-records/" target="_blank">#BeyondTheTopRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/black-metal/" target="_blank">#BlackMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/blackened-death-metal/" target="_blank">#BlackenedDeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/blighted-eye/" target="_blank">#BlightedEye</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/death-metal/" target="_blank">#DeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/hath/" target="_blank">#Hath</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/progressive-black-metal/" target="_blank">#ProgressiveBlackMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/progressive-death-metal/" target="_blank">#ProgressiveDeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sep24/" target="_blank">#Sep24</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/wake/" target="_blank">#Wake</a></p>
Your Future Ex<p>Another one for <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://metalhead.club/@DXMacGuffin" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>DXMacGuffin</span></a></span>'s <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/ProgTuesday" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ProgTuesday</span></a>:</p><p>Blighted Eye: Howls From Beyond the Mist</p><p><a href="https://song.link/jdvbj64pfjdwv" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="">song.link/jdvbj64pfjdwv</span><span class="invisible"></span></a></p><p><a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/ProgressiveDeathMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ProgressiveDeathMetal</span></a></p><p>FFO <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/Aethereus" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Aethereus</span></a> <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/TheBeastOfNod" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>TheBeastOfNod</span></a> <a href="https://metalhead.club/tags/TheBehestOfSerpents" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>TheBehestOfSerpents</span></a></p>
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