This is the second album by the Italian project, with songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Andrea Bruzzone taking care of the vocals and programming, while enlisting John Mor to deal with the guitars, Otus Rex the bass and Giulio Galati pelting the drums.

Opener “Defaced Background” comes straight in with a guttural roar over a blast beat forcing the guitars to quickly play catch-up before a slight pause allows a chugging rhythm to appear and work alongside the repeating blasting to give us melody to follow as the aggression becomes palpable.

The combination and fusion of genres as they fight for dominance is imaginative, taking “Unobtainable Transformations” as an example, there are black metal screeches over death metal riff followed by ambient keyboards accompanying a powerful bass line as the drums are barely audible, before it all coalesces into a maelstrom of instruments and throaty growls.

I love the bass on “Unearthly Dominion”, as it holds the melodic guitar riff from becoming a frantic lead as it builds and then crashes in a manic ebb and flow before the keyboard give it a trippy sci-fi feel as they tremolo once the lead is actually played.

The instrumental “Unaware Gods” has the guitars playing a mesmerising tune at a frenetic pace, matched by the drumming, which is somehow much easier on the ear that you think it should be.

“Enshrouding Wraths” has the vocals returning with a vicious kick drum thumping as the snare is murderously pelted, even as the guitars meander along pleasantly before everything breaks down to a gentle acoustic coda.

The tempo-change for “The Flesh Of Terror” is a touch scathing, but then it also mellows with jazzy keyboards, over blasting drums, which fade into doom-death growls at what feels like funereal pace in comparison before very prog rocky leads by Niccolò Misrachi break out.

A rather convoluted path is followed as the layers of instruments on “Infinite Self-Reflecting Circles” where Gianluca Zanello drops his sax solo before things get really heavy and are then reigned in, with an organ wrapping up the song.

The final instrumental, “Beggars” is a soothing balm of lightly tapped cymbals with peaceful guitar riffs building up to carry a little sustain, but the perfect digestive for the heavy album you have just completed listening to.

While there are most certainly plenty of interesting passages, there are also times when points are being unnecessarily laboured, where being succinct would get the point across faster. Granted, you hear more and more on each pass, but sometimes that doesn’t always add to the aural experience.

(7/10  Marco Gaminara)

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https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-flesh-of-a-new-god