ALBUM REVIEW: Fleshwork – Pupil Slicer

We are in PUPIL SLICER country now. The hellscape is relentless, unchallenged by ferocious and all-consuming storms. In its losing struggle, the earth has given way to plunging abysses, echo chambers of immeasurable pain. Here, Fleshwork is a record defined by unbearable immersion – an entity that only exists to seep under the skin. 

Raw, tempestuous and garish, the only way to fully approach this record is utterly helpless. Fleshwork is the crown and sceptre of a triad of increasingly uncomfortable listens. Where 2021’s Mirrors, sharp and succinct, was a moment of uncontrollable fury, 2023’s Blossom cleaved far too close to the bone. In the years since their abrasive debut, there has been fury, but nowhere near the hell that birthed this abomination. As it stands, this record is a kingmaker of the UK underground. 

Whilst it is easy to project power into the album being highly conceptual, with jagged reflections of Mick Gordon’s DOOM smattering the mix as much as the sensual electronic whirr of the Stranger Things soundtrack, it actually grounds their sound in their own defining context (as well as satiating the band’s hunger for their love of nerd culture). In tracks like Sacrosanct, permeating riffs that ooze and grease the industrial cogs that drive the album feel much more accessible than their previous releases. 

Undoubtedly, there is more exploration here that does not veer off of PUPIL SLICER’s dark path. Nomad relies on that defining black metal lull to make an impact. These moments of sensual overstimulation really add to the record’s crazed mentality. Whilst the band have been previously described as ‘mathcore’, this is not where their allegiances lie for the record. Elements of industrial and even the nostalgic thrill associated with mid-2000s screamo appear to dazzle. This fusion is contemporary, refreshing, and, like bringing water to a boil, a slow burn that will be a force in years to come. 

The record relies on morbidly obscene guitar tones. If there was one gripe, it would be how cleanly the drums fit against its roughness. In some ways, it feels like an obvious choice not to overpower the sound, but it doesn’t feel entirely clean-cut either. However, in tracks like Black Scrawl, there is an urgency that allows the percussion to have its moment. The track, alongside its primeval counterpart Heather, released together, is the standout of the record. 

Above it all, what is so unbelievably damaging about Fleshwork is the reality it exposes. In its subject, a blinding duality of catharsis and condemnation against otherness they style as “trans-inclusive radical hatred”, but also felt violently in Kate Davies’ endless screams that permeate hauntingly through the project. Much in the vein of a DEAFHEAVEN record, resolve comes in the form of a brighter and airy end, spurred on by ambience and the arrival of calm. Cenote, the final track, haunts the record with brilliant understanding of light and shade.  

We exist in the ecosystem of the record, not to think or act, but to warmly embrace. The record challenges, without needing a moment to take it up in arms. It’s not there to decimate, but a behemoth to behold and heard. Fleshwork takes an entire listen to be fully understood, with singles that sear, but burn brighter in the context of the album. Whilst the record at times feels dense, garish and grotesque, it’s wonderfully textured with moments that cauterise with immense healing capabilities. Their most impactful and personal yet. 

On their UK touring run later this month, PUPIL SLICER will give Fleshwork a completely new meaning. By design, it exists to live, feel and feed. Whilst so much can be given to its sound, its tenacious ability to make it personal and take on the weight of other people’s problems will give so much energy in a live context. Only here, this is the place where the record will define them. Understandably, we have not yet seen the monstrosities of what is to come. 

Rating 8/10

Fleshwork is set for release on November 7th via Prosthetic Records. 

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