Flesh

Tanj! Allow me to rabidly announce my latest fetish band, Zagreb's Flesh, as its stunning sleeper of a titular full-length debut, independently released in 2014 without fanfare, is currently sending me spiraling into an all-out, unabashed frenzy of classic traditional heavy metal adulation; suffice to say, should the raucously pounding, compellingly bass heavy and sleazy in a Volture-meets-Nasty Tendency-way debilitating set of nine kick-ass cuts on display fail to enrapture as well as grab you by the balls and shake you like a rag doll I promise to toss my chapeau in a blender on high and sprinkle the bits on toast...Simply put, this as-yet undisclosed and raunchily rendered, science-fiction rich release is a helluva gem!

Initially (known as) Full Throttle until 2013,, the Croatian trio features Mötej Van Matanović on guitars - an all-around hatchet man handling both rhythm and lead (at first, I though there were two of him), Krešimir Špoljar on drums, and, striking aloft on bass as well as micro phone, Rökindja Nikolić, who disingenuously fits the bill as Flesh's low/mid to upper ranged, phlegmatic front man. Heedless of ungainly sobriquets, Matanović’s guitar tone slits like a coruscating diamond whilst its mates’ mid-tempo rhythm section prominently resounds - by far, it doesn’t just play second fiddle but rather rises to the fore numerous times, as attested by Nikolić’s globular warble three minutes into “Cathedral” or tremendous, pronging backing line to the firestorm of a lead break on “Hammered Down”, alongside Špoljar’s jamming and jingling intros to “Vermon Terror” (which also includes an amusing and snoogling mini bass solo) and “Pirate Song”. These are only but a few instances; all-around, the three contribute in equal measures to Flesh’s fifty minutes of highly accessible and replay-able hard-driving, at times downright rock-ish, festivities.

Between its gripping genuflector of an opener, “Flesh and Blood”, on which the listener receives an auspicious introductory glimpse of Nikolić’s hearty and wry, mildly bloated inflections and all-around congenially lewd lyrics as well as a cutting taste of Matanović’s wildly stretched and mind-bending pentatonic lead antics (namely, in the middle of the second verse) and monumental, Volture sounding closer, “Pirate Song” – which also features a loud and proud goomba stomp of a stand-alone bass exploration yielding a furious eye-brow ripping, hysterically shredding solo and concluding drum rattle, not counting an urban lothario’s wild-oat sowing whistle! – the relatively lengthy tracks (except for the three-minute blitzkrieg and rampant, gang vocal laden “Vermin Terror”) avoid sounding repetitive or convoluted, as was the case with Judas Priest’s Point of Entry, which I’m unavoidably reminded of due in part to the poignant, straight razor riff-age of the faster numbers (harking of JP staples such as "Hot Rockin’” and “Heading Out to the Highway”) as well as the languidly drawn-out and deeply cosmic “Starblind” (think "Desert Plains", “Solar Angels” or even “Beyond The Realm of Death”), with its early Pantera (“Cemetery Gates”)/Alice In Chains sounding opening guitar progression and Nikolić’s integral, Rob Halford-like high pitch whine. To this end, “Reavers” is another slow developer which soon ambles into valorous and battle-some undertones, imbued as it with epic pinched harmonic turnabouts and boxy, staggering drum beats which eventually give way to a rather unexpectedly wang-y and skulking bent string riff and masterful, revolving solo.

Although this last’s girth-some chorus is nothing to shake a disintegrator at, it’s really the upcoming and wickedly bone-jarring sing-along anthems “Hammered Down” and “Easy Rideth - Heavy Striker”, which represent top grade demonstrations of timeless and non-committal heavy metal magic I’ll be grooming my nephews into bona fide head-banging/devil-horn throwing freaks with. While the latter’s poised and raw (as well as shamelessly cool) main riff brings to mind Type O Negative’s Mortal Kombat inclusion “Blood & Fire”, as well as effortlessly wins metal hearts far and wide with its greasy biker rock evoking “You know you got it, if it makes you feel good/right; Easy Rider, Heavy Striker!(x2)” the former’s fiercely laid back and quintessentially liberalizing chorus is just killer:

“This sinister lies have brought you
Down close to the wall
Now cornered up, you've got
Nowhere to hide nowhere to go
In blood you'll pay, the price is
up too long
Tonight I'll Hammer you Down!”

(Lyrically, I’m also quite smitten by the deadly albeit cheeky “When I rip your tongue out you’ll find silence is a precious gift”!)

The ensuing, sparkling leads on both are infinitely spectacular; overall, I’m pleasantly shocked by Matanović’s “fleshy” and highly colourful chops (not to mention his striking array of meaty riffs!), especially on said looser “feel good” tracks; furthermore, accolades and metal regards are duly owed to his mates for backing him up in such a stocky yet fluid and memorable manner. By now, I dare say, I’m as impressed as I was by my previous pet project, Lechery, whose third effort We Are All Born Evil, was a shoo-in for my January album of the month. Thus, it goes without saying Flesh is a strong, however belated, contender for the February crown.

A somewhat milder but no less competitive segment is the 10.5 minute haymaker and next-to-last track, aptly titled “Opus”. In fact, it’s a veritable chef-d’oeuvre as it proves Flesh is capable of providing more than just gleeful and juvenile, debonair romp and stompers fit for randy, testosterone fuelled young males. No sir, the mature and groovy as all get-out bass line and solidly crafted guitar riff (tinged with further well-placed harmonics) at its onset pave the way for a futuristic yet thoughtful coming-of-age space voyage rife with adventure, romance and freedom instilling flair which borders on progressive metal without overplaying its hand or lagging in the sonic thrills department. To wit, anticipate a “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” paralleling bridge and suavely sinuous, Hawkwind inspired lead and incremental mid-point acceleration as well as stargazing post-bridge denouement complete with additional orbital guitar, plastering drum fills and thumping, Rudy Sarzo-ish bass sure to induce tears, or at the very least, wistful recollections of a long-gone (but fitfully re-emerging!) heavy psychedelic rock era.

On top of everything else Flesh has to offer, dig the beautiful eye-catching cover art depicting a scantily clad lass keeping a swath of scary-looking aliens at a bay on a desolate and barren other-Worldly landscape. Indeed, it’s safe to assume this must-hear release is Flesh Gordon approved.