FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE — Labyrinth (review)

FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE — Labyrinth album cover

Album · 2013 · Technical Death Metal

4.5/5 · 2013-09-01
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Labyrinth (2013) is the third full-length album by Italian death metal act Fleshgod Apocalypse. While the group's early work including debut album Oracles (2009) took on the brutal technical death metal niche of the genre, their prior album Agony (2011) saw the band shift into the smaller but steadily growing market of symphonic death metal. The prior album established Fleshgod Apocalypse as one of the most intense bands to emerge within the style, retaining their brutal death metal aspects while their technical side, though present, ended up seeming like they buried under the rest of the music. Agony was a thoroughly intense affair that set the standard for others to follow but ultimately it came across as an inferior album to Oracles for me.

A couple of years later and Fleshgod Apocalypse follow up Agony with Labyrinth. On the surface it would seem not much has changed, the band line-up including guest female vocalist Veronica Bordacchini (In Tenebra) are exactly the same, and unlike the shift between Oracles and Agony on Labyrinth the band is still doing exactly the same thing as they were the last time around. The only different, and it's an important difference to note, is that Fleshgod Apocalypse seemed to have really honed their craft since the release of Agony. The technical elements are better utilised and once again have become a defining feature of the band's music alongside the excellent as ever symphonic parts, which extends into some piano playing which I've always found adds an interesting layer to death metal music. Vocalist Tommaso Riccardi sounds as deep and powerful as ever and while one of my complaints about Agony, the rather unneeded and irritating clean vocals of bassist Paolo Rossi, are still present, they're not used so much on the album, while Veronica Bordacchini's guest soprano gets even more of a look in, and in contrast to Rossi's singing fits in perfectly.

The music is notably less orientated within brutal death metal than it was before though. Labyrinth is still heavy and intense, but restrained. In my view that's a good thing, as it allows both the symphonic and technical guitar aspects to shine, whereas on Agony only the former was really able to. I'd understand though if those who listened to Fleshgod Apocalypse because of their brutal death metal thought Labyrinth was a lesser album from the band, even if that's not something I could ever agree with on a objective or subjective level. To my ears because of the little changes Fleshgod Apocalypse have made to their sound it allows Labyrinth's songs to have more identity between themselves. The band still doesn't vary their formula an awful lot once the album gets going, but the results are a lot more satisfactory than before. The music is really epic sounding. Agony seems in comparison to just be symphonic backed brutal death metal. Labyrinth on the other hand is the real deal. An exceptional grade rating is deserved.

92/100

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven: http://metaltube.freeforums.org/fleshgod-apocalypse-labyrinth-t3152.html)