Written by Kep
A few weeks back on Twitter I floated the idea of ranking the discography of Italian symphonic death metal titans Fleshgod Apocalypse. I rank discographies via tweet thread periodically without issue, but this time when I started gathering my thoughts I quickly realized I had too much to say to be confined by a character count. And so, without further ado, please enjoy my somewhat longwinded and extremely opinionated rankings of all six releases!
6 Veleno (2019)
The bandโs most recent outing (already three years old, so itโs likely about time for them to start teasing a new one) suffers oddly from a sterilization of the classic Fleshgod Apocalypse elements. The orchestra, which is usually goddamn massive, somehow feels thin and overprocessed, with the choir often overshadowing it, and the guitars have no edge despite at times being clearly heard through thinner textures. But perhaps more notable is the bandโs decision to push their songs into moreโฆletโs say stadium-friendly spaces with tracks like the ultra-melodic (comparatively speaking) โCarnivorous Lambโ and โMonnalisaโ and the Veronica Bordacchini-led soprano ballad โThe Day Weโll Be Goneโ, which has a solo that feels downright pedestrian. Somehow despite coming after of one of their strongest releases, the songwriting is inherently less interesting, retreading ideas they do better in King and exploring a few new areas that arenโt very exciting. Veleno is also one of only two of their albums that features an instrumental interlude despite being the entry in their catalogue that needs it the least (at ~52 minutes and with plenty of resting points), and itโs their first release since Oracles that doesnโt feature Tommaso Riccardi on vocals; his presence is sorely missed. This isnโt a bad listen per se, itโs just an uninteresting one without much to make it memorable, and for a band like this thatโs a huge misstep.
5 Labyrinth (2013)
My feelings on Labyrinth are complex. Itโs the album that introduced me to Fleshgod Apocalypse and the album that hooked me on their music. Itโs also, objectively speaking, one of their weakest outings. From the massively oversaturated mix, to the forced overabundance of Bordacchiniโs operatic appearances, to the particularly off-putting and head-scratchingly tuneless backup cleans by bassist Paolo Rossi (who sang much more stirringly on Agony and then again on King), to the near complete absence of the guitars in the riff material, this record is an extremely ambitious mess. This was the โwe can take it furtherโ moment in their discography, following first symphonic outing Agony, where they pushed the ratio of orchestral elements too far, both in production and in composition. Itโs not that there arenโt plenty of good ideas, because there absolutely are a ton of them: the brutally bludgeoning verse riff of โPathfinderโ and the brilliant cascading violins that open โThe Fall of Asterionโ, for example, and the undeniably epic lead single โMinotaur (The Wrath of Posiedon)โ. The bad simply outweighs the good, particularly when it comes to the guitars, which regularly disappear into a wall of orchestral noise for lengthy stretches, and periodically emerge from the churn to lay down one of several solos that all sound pretty much the same. Still, despite being overlong (and again, having an unneeded interlude), the cohesiveness and categorically epic nature of the record as a whole makes it a memorable listen, even if it isnโt a great one.
4 Oracles (2009)
Donโt get it twisted just because itโs in spot 4: this album slaps ridiculously fucking hard. โIn Honour of Reasonโ is an all-time great entry in the โopening track of a bandโs first albumโ category, wearing the influence of their countrymen Hour of Penance on the sleeve but with a fresh, beastly feel. It doesnโt take more than a track or two to drive home why Oracles blew so many people away back in the late aughts: itโs fast as hell, stupidly technical (and I mean that as a compliment, of course), and the guitar tone alone could sandblast every shred of skin from your skull. It has a meaner, rawer sound than anything that followsโrelatively normal for debuts of any subgenreโand it really highlights the merciless brutality of the young outfit. Plus, there are hints of whatโs to come in the sophisticated and often subtly melodic riff stylings and the orchestral (and choral!) moments from composer Francesco Ferrini, who wasnโt yet a full member of the band. The courtly waltz at the end of โAs Tyrants Fallโ is particularly delightful, as is the choral passage that closes โInfection of the White Throneโ, but theyโre also emblematic of what those symphonic elements were at this early juncture: merely transitional pieces, functionally separate from the songs themselves. Those songs are tightly focused and each of them is a powerhouse, though thereโs very little dynamic or tempo variation within the tracks or from song to song. Oracles is a monster listen, but Fleshgod Apocalypse was just getting started.
3 King (2016)
Perhaps the most โcompleteโ of their records, King is an intelligently executed concept with smart production that corrects the oversaturation of Labyrinth without reducing the gargantuan size of the sound, and itโs the best mix of their symphonic era. The guitar/orchestra balance is still tilted in the orchestraโs favor, as it has been in every album since Agony, but the guitars are audible and intelligently written in their mostly supportive role. The edges of their sound were expanding, taking the explorative ideas of Labyrinth and pushing them further, which leads to some truly distinctive moments in their discography. Tracks like โThe Foolโ, with itโs helter-skelter main riff and surprisingly emotional chorus, and โGravityโ, which has the most devastatingly heavy symphonic theme theyโve ever written, are high points on an album full of brand new feelings and sounds. The songs here are notably slower and more ponderous than in previous releases, which really plays into a cohesively stately and royal feel (although for my money the best song is โA Million Deathsโ, the fastest on the album). Unfortunately it also makes the album as a whole ring just a touch less exciting to listen to, despite the pulse-pounding promise of the โFlight of the Valkyriesโ-inspired motif that kicks off opening track โIn Aeternumโ. I also think โParamour (Die Leidenschaft bringt Leiden)โ, the soprano/piano duo at the album midpoint, is a misstep; it makes sense conceptually but in execution it just doesnโt fit and probably ends up a skip for most listeners.
2 Agony (2011)
Hereโs where it all changed, in a move that turned out to be as successful as it was bold. Bringing on composer Francesco Ferrini as full-time pianist and orchestrator, Fleshgod Apocalypse released an album that took their brutal take on technical death metal and made it bigger by going full symphonic. From an album-to-album viewpoint the shift in songwriting focus is quite stark: the guitars take on a role thatโs much more supportive (and notably less technical than in Oracles and Mafia) while the orchestral motifs take the lead, resulting in a larger sound thatโs substantially less riffy and features the orchestra noticeably forward in the mix. Itโs a brilliant moment in their discography that still stands as the most evenly balanced release outside of King, despite the permanent reduction in focus on that technical guitarwork that was previously a hallmark. Thereโs wonderful clarity in the symphonic elements, while the guitars have enough of their own body to mostly keep them from being swallowed by the texture. Tracks like โThe Egoismโโwhich goes as hard as anything in their catalogueโand โThe Violationโ showcase the bandโs elements working ideally in conceptual sync, the latter the best example of a killer main riff that just couldnโt have existed before shifting the focus away from the guitars. Iโm not a huge fan of Ferriniโs writing for Bordacchiniโs voice here, and the runtime is a touch bloated and prone to causing listener fatigue with its consistent loudness, but itโs a triumph regardless.
1 Mafia (2010)
Following the success of Oracles, Fleshgod Apocalypse delivered what I consider to be a flawless EP in Mafia. Now, I can hear your complaints, dear reader: โAn EP in the top spot? And it barely even has their signature symphonic elements? What a cop-out.โ These are valid points, but hereโs the thing: the tour-de-force that is Mafia is their best for *exactly* those reasons. With five tracks over 24 minutes (including an At the Gates cover and their standard solo piano closer), itโs the perfect no fat, no filler, no bullshit listen. The three original full band tracks, which take up 18 of those minutesโscorcher โThru Our Scarsโ, towering monolith โAbyssalโ, and the vicious โConspiracy of Silenceโโare some of the tightest writing theyโve ever done, where not even a second drags and each song runs seamlessly into the next. Why is this? Itโs because their songwriting is laser-focused and unflinchingly ferocious, leaving behind some of that Hour of Penanceworship from Oracles and becoming more distinct, and the little touches of orchestral influence they weave in are deft flourishes rather than bombastic constants, which allows the guitars to continue showing off astonishing technicality. There are mindblowing moments aplenty: the speed of those blasts against the bludgeoning main riff of โThruโ, the soaring chorus from Rossi, the apocalyptic tremolo-picked opening of โAbyssalโ and its breathless arpeggio-flailing bridge that leads to an emotive solo, the shred-filled chorus of โConspiracyโ, the almost neo-classical solo section and mournful clean vocal bridge, the bloodthirsty delivery of โBlinded by Fearโ. Fleshgod Apocalypse arenโt the iconic act they are today without what came after Mafia, but for a moment back in 2010 they were the perfect entity of brutality, unwavering compositional focus, and technicality, tempered subtly with a hint of the progressive.