FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE — Mafia (review)

FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE — Mafia album cover EP · 2010 · Technical Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
UMUR
Mafia is an EP release by Italian death metal act Fleshgod Apocalypse. The EP was released in June 2010 by Willowtip Records. I´ve read reviews of the band´s debut album from 2009 called Oracles, but Mafia is my first encounter with Fleshgod Apocalypse.

The music on the 5 track, 23:55 minute long EP is brutal and technically well played death metal. Brutal death metal can swing both ways for me, which means that it can be extremely monotone and way too focused on brutality or it can be like the music on Mafia. The tracks on this EP are brutal as hell, but also composed in a very clever way, which means that all tracks stand out from each other, and all tracks contain intricate details to entertain the listener. The growling vocals are deep and brutal, but in addition to the growling vocals by vocalist/ guitarist Tommaso Riccardi we´re also treated to some semi-operatic clean vocals by bassist/ vocalist Paolo Rossi. The clean vocals are not a dominant feature and only appear in Thru Our Scars and Blinded by Fear, but they are really great for the variation. Some of the other details that help keep the brutal music interesting are samples, orchestral sections, piano interludes and other intricate features. While I spend time writing about those features the basis in the music is still brutal death metal. The pace is mosty fast to blasting but there are heavier parts too. The tracks may be brutal but they are full of hooks and recognisable parts.

I have to mention the drumming by Francesco Paoli as one of the greatest assets to the band´s sound. The drums are pretty high in the mix and they sound very powerful. But it´s how they are played that really excites me. We´re talking very fast and technical precision drumming that pushes the music forward ( I´m somewhat reminded of Flo Mounier from Cryptopsy). The blasts are spot on and take a listen to those extremely fast played double bass drums. This is a case where triggered drums work wonders. The rest of the band are also very well playing and I´d mention the neo-classical lead guitar playing as another highlight on the EP. Great themes and solos.

I mentioned that the drums are high in the mix and how well sounding and powerful they are, but evaluating the full production, it´s safe to say that this EP is very well sounding and that the sound suits the music perfectly.

It´s so seldom I´m surprised by really brutal death metal releases but Mafia has not only left me beaten and bruised ( yes it´s that brutal) but also intellectually intrigued and that´s a rare achivement. This is a sure 4 star rating and I´m actually leaning towards a 4.5.
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