EP REVIEW: Bile of Man Reborn – Fleshvessel

Chicago’s FLESHVESSEL are perhaps one of the most interesting and experimental death metal acts to emerge from the US’ already diverse underground in the last year. Forming just last year, and quickly putting out their debut EP, Bile of Man Reborn. This brilliant, one song EP showcases a lot of musical diversity and maturity for a band so early on in their career, blending dark and brooding take on death metal with a varied, heady mix of progressive elements, which gives the music an excellent, immersive sound. Now, with a re-release on I, Voidhanger Records, the band looks set to take their music to a worldwide audience, and establish themselves at the forefront of the international underground.

Initially, this gives off the impression of being a fairly straight forward, but nonetheless excellent, slab of death metal with a few well placed technical and hypnotic flourishes peppered liberally throughout. That is, until the keyboards begin to creep into the song, adding an ethereal, spacey quality to the proceedings and some great, bombastic moments that make the music all the more engrossing. There’s plenty of intricate drums, effective guitar work and a slick, bubbling bass line that underpins everything, and the acerbic edge of the vocals only add the this songs visceral approach.

A haunting motif comprised of pianos, minimalist flutes and viola provide a brilliant segue between the songs first and second halves, stripping back much of the intensity that marks the first 12 minutes of the song and providing a great pallet cleanser that marks the songs true descent into much more avant-garde and experimental territories. The last portion of the song is marked by jarring, discordant rhythms and sparse, soaring leads, some of the best, more precise drums and a few minor progressive elements coming together to give the particular part of the song much more demented, dizzying feel. The final minutes of the track add a sublime, airy quality to the track with huge keyboard sections and cavernous hooks giving this song a much more expansive and grandiose feel, with the powerful coupling of Cuatro and Whistles making for a sanguine end on which to end an extremely diverse and all-encompassing piece of music.

Whereas the vast majority of bands would ease their listeners into their sound with a more restrained and streamlined approach to their music, FLESHVESSEL manage to make what is arguably one of the more ambitious and adventurous introductions to a band in years. There aren’t many songs that manage to run the gamut of musical capability, ranging from chaotic, cacophonous moments to more minimalist, sanguine moments, without any of it feeling forced or out of place. Needless to say, this one song EP acts as a great foundation on which to build future music, and raises expectations sky high for whatever the band plans to produce next.

Rating: 9/10

Bile of Man Reborn is out now via I, Voidhanger Records.

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