When you read about a band who is heavily influenced by their heroes, what do you expect? Would they sound like them? Would they be a copycat band? Would they be a cover band? The only thing I’m sure is anyone can bring their influences into their playing but add their own flavours and FLATUS does it here, unexpected passages but does the trick and keeps the flow going.
Man’s Obsolescence has what the opening tracks are: The build up for the most unexpected to come, the spoken intro is thrilling and will keep you guessing, would this be an all out attack or a slow tune? But the wait is over when they let it all out and the tension is over, growling vocals followed by operating voices is something that I was not expecting but if you know what’s coming then that’s boring isn’t it, that’s why I love bands who doesn’t just play safe.
The Toxoplasmic Avenger was the first single of the album released, dedicated to Lenny (the cat who passed away during recording) a relentless attack of riffs and blastbeats. The grinding vocals merge with the growling ones, by now they sound like the band they totally love but still add their own flavours into the table and spice up a bit and the guitar solo reminds me a lot of Michael Amott and Bill Steer combined. The industrial sounds and terrifying screams give way to Human Garbage, a mid pace tempo song that takes you back to the 90’s grind metal era, a simple guitar riff that creates a great atmosphere follow by more blastbeats and that signature grinding vocals when that bridge breaks takes the song to another level.
Myseryguts has that powerful riff that will make your face melt and ears ring, another total assault here combined with melodies. This band does it well to create their own signature style and is something that stands out the most, like I said expect the unexpected here as this is not your traditional death metal or grind band. The sound is crystal clear and those blastbeats are not buried under all that wall of sound which makes it a more visceral attack.
The instrumental track Ride into Decay dabbles with different styles from black metal to a progressive turn, melodies coming back and forth until the pedal is push and the blastbeats shows again, a very enjoyable instrumental that it feels like a journey to the most obscure places.
The last two songs of the album I have to say are the most experimental tracks in this album with different passages and obscure influences. So who is “Mark Bowen” we can only ask the band as this track is one of the most experimental with that synth popping out now and then reminding me a lot of Pestilence here in this track “Spheres” album era but it never remains short of educated lessons in death metal especially when the pedal is pushed to maximum violence. I still got that synth sound in my head especially the end, Fettgans Madrigal is a 90’s death metal song that guitar riff at the beginning reminds me of a thousand souls elevating into the air and that synth again shows up to add more spice with those two voices merging together to add more sinister passages while that guitar riffs pierce though blood and bones, a great ending.
If you like splatter and guts and a bit of fun, well this is your band. Flatus has the chops or I should say, the Gore to bring out the dead to torment the living.
