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Sludge/Doom Metal: Fleshpress - Acid Mouth Strangulation (2011)

78 / 100
Finland’s sludge/doom act Fleshpress delivers three sprawling tracks steeped in hypnotic riffs, psychedelic synths, and apocalyptic heaviness. Dark and well-structured with a clean yet still suffocating sound.

The name Fleshpress was taken from a song by the veteran sludge metal band Grief which hadn’t disbanded yet when Fleshpress was formed in 1998. Acid Mouth Strangulation is their fifth album, released on October 26, 2011 via Svart Records, a label that also houses major bands like Demilich, Abhorrence, Skepticism, and others. Fleshpress needed only three tracks to fill this album, which runs for a total of 36 minutes: “Grass Trails,” “Cooper Eyes,” and “Oblivion Persistent.”

“Grass Trails” unfolds at a very slow pace, with an extended intro lasting up to seven minutes. Here, you are presented with sluggish riffs layered under hypnotic synths and solid drumming, eventually building up to a peak of sludge metal emotion for a minute, before descending into the shortest interlude among the three tracks—then repeated once and concluded. Overdriven proto-doom guitar picking and psychedelic synths open the second track and lull us into forgetting the destruction that awaits, only to be gradually overtaken by apocalyptic sludge fury. “Cooper Eyes” holds the strongest concentration of psychedelic stoner energy. As the middle track, it rightly serves as the album’s climax—a storm swirling with rage. “Oblivion Persistent” is the final and longest piece, beginning with the heaviest guitar sequence and delivering the most terrifying atmosphere at the first, but 10 minutes interlude as process of devourment made this track boring somehow; nevertheless, prepare yourself to be devoured and crushed within a throat of acid!

Having listened to only three of Fleshpress’s albums so far, this one comes across as more structured and dark-toned, yet with cleaner sound quality than their later release Hulluuden Muuri, which is much noisier. Meanwhile, the shrieking vocals here are clearer than on III – The Art of Losing All. So, if you want a dynamic listening, "Grass Trails" and "Cooper Eyes" are the best choice, but "Oblivion Persistent" will give you a special experience in two sides.

[The review also posted on Metal Archives.]

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