Deathly Din
'Fury And Flames' is album number four from the acclaimed American brutal death metal crew. Formed in 1997, the band, over the years, has overcome line-up changes, business and personal issues. At the core of the band is Ex Morbid Angel's Erik Rutan. He is their driving force and the reason why 'Fury And Flames' is uncompromising in its speed and brutality.
Within forty seconds of opener 'Hell Envenom' the band have laid out their stall and direction for the next half an hour. They deliver incredible speed, mesmerising rhythm guitar work and hypnotically growled vocals. It's like hiding in an underground bunker whilst shell after shell after shell bombards you from above. This album is a vicious and merciless assault on the ears, even more so than the new Braindrill album, and I never thought I'd say that.
The musicianship on this disc is staggering. Jade Simonetto's drumming in particular is reaching the realms of impossibility with the constant machine gun blast beats. Is he using triggers? Is there some sort of futuristic machine behind it all? At times, especially on 'Thus Salvation', the performance is inhumane. Surely it's cruel from the songwriter's point of view to make the drummer play these drum lines. Of course the guitar work has to keep pace with Simonetto, and the rhythm lines do not disappoint. They are intricate, venomous and precise, just like everything else on this leviathan.
The absolute rage embedded in this disc is perhaps down to the tragic death of former bassist Jared Anderson. 'Fury And Flames' certainly sounds like Rutan exhuming his anger and frustration from the pit of his soul. As a consequence he's created a huge sounding monster of an album that is undoubtedly going to put Hate Eternal atop the brutal death metal genre. It is Hate Eternal through and through, but Hate Eternal with more anger and grief, which will please their army of followers.
As brutal death metal goes, you're probably not going to get much more brutal than 'Fury And Flames'. The emphasis is more on pulverisation than actual hooks, melody and variation. If you're not a Hate Eternal follower then this album will sound like one huge fucking row from start to finish. It won't pick up many new fans but followers of this dedicated sub-genre just may have found their new heroes. Personally I found Braindrill's album easier to digest.