Fleshgod Apocalypse – “King” [Album Review]

Inspired as much by death metal legends Deicide and Cannibal Corpse as they are by great composers like Mozart and Beethoven, the music created by Italian extreme metal quintet Fleshgod Apocalypse is really the epitome of what true heavy metal should be about. Ridiculously over-the-top, their latest offering King sees the clashing of the operatic and heavy metal worlds to create a brutal, dramatic piece of work.

As with the band’s previous offerings, King is a concept album with commentary based upon the collapse of a world. Unsurprisingly, listening to the bombastic sound, if any band can pull of a concept album then that band is Fleshgod Apocalypse. In fact, it should be a piece of piss to a band who make a living from creating grandiose, dramatic music. Equal parts dramatic operatics and ferocious death metal, King sees the Italian outfit take the listener on a complex journey.

Describing their sound as “an orchestral sound,” tracks like “The Fool” are at times simply just too hard to keep up with such is the breathtaking speed with which the band are smashing out their music. Despite being undeniably brutal, there is something strangely hypnotic about the operatic arrangements blended into the metallic fury on “And The Vulture Beholds” that makes this an album that you are never going to fully appreciate, no matter how hard you try or how many times you immerse yourself into its world.

Whether you’re a fan of the operatic side of the genre or you just like good head-stoving brutality, King will offer you so much! It flows seamlessly from start to finish as it takes you through its story and, while it may be one of the most over-the-top heavy metal records you are likely to hear all year, it’s also one of the most flawless. Simply breathtaking!

Track Listing:

01. Marche Royale
02. In Aeternum
03. Healing Through War
04. The Fool
05. Cold As Perfection
06. Mitra
07. Paramour (Die Leidenschaft Bringt Leiden)
08. And The Vulture Beholds
09. Gravity
10. A Million Deaths
11. Syphilis
12. King

Run Time: 57:30
Release Date: February 5, 2016

Check out the song “Gravity” here.