FLESHER
FLESHER "Tales Of Grotesque Demise"
By Dr. Abner Mality
We are in an exciting period for death metal, with new bands popping up left and right and old masters getting their due. Inevitably you will get a lot of dung along with the diamonds. If you're looking for predictable, by the numbers death metal delivered with maximum monotony and every cliche you can think of, let me direct you to Indiana's FLESHER.
While not as overwhelmingly horrible as BLIGHT HOUSE or NUCLEAR REMAINS, FLESHER is one dull and lifeless slog. I was surprised to see the name of Dustin Boltjes , the drummer for SKELETONWITCH and DEMIRICOUS, attached to this band. My guess is Dustin and his buds wound up going to a SANGUISUGABOGG or 200 STAB WOUNDS show and decided they wanted to jump on the primitive death metal bandwagon. Oh, how delightful.
This is absolute chugging monotony, with each song sounding virtually identical....a robotic procession of palm-muted riffs with no dynamics, no energetic guitar solos, no quirky touches to make anything distinct and growling Grendel vocals that should be wrapped in plain brown paper. The album is remarkable for its lack of depth and interest, especially since it's on the Redefining Darkness label which is generally known for strong material. The boredom extends to the title of the album and the cover art, which is a routine depiction of flayed corpses. Ho hum, wake me when it's over.
I love tradition in death metal, but not when it totally lacks imagination or identity. FLESHER is one new wave death metal band with nowhere to go and no way to get there.