One of the joys of this lark is picking up a band who are brand new and mysterious to cover and finding you have a gem on your hands. Of course, it doesn’t always work out that way but as far as Flagg are concerned, here there be black crusty treasure. The label describe them as “a brand-new entity hailing from parts unknown” whether the group themselves decided to come out the shadows since that was written or not is uncertain but a quick bit of digging proves that they come from Finland and contain members of Annihilatus, Malum & Kalmankantaja. Further to this I discover that they are a project by Flagg and have Tyrant (from Malum) providing vocals; what a hideously gorgeous racket the pair of them make.
This is utterly ferocious stuff make no mistake. From a shrill and sharp opening guitar cadence ‘Destroy, Desecrate’ slides in with some snare clashes sounding like a bull in a china shop before a pause and everything piles in and takes off. The drums are clattering, speedy precise and lethal, vocals rabid, elongated and completely blood-thirsty. This is absolutely full on filthy Finnish black metal but it hits speeds at times of almost grindcore velocity tempered with some slower and more morbid parts amidst the shredding melee. This is black metal for fans of bands like Nails and Full Of Hell but without any trends other than blasting the listener through the gates of hell with unrestrained contempt and velocity. That’s not to say it is without any melody and below the grimy surface and punky bounce there’s plenty of that. The slower parts have some keyboard work under them too and the fact that this has been described as both aged and ancient and also modern is a good description as the title track flamencos around a trilling guitar riffs and brutal blasts. ‘Dark Clouds Gathering’ ups the atmosphere, easing off the full pelt depravity a little and sinuously flexing its muscles. No matter what the music is doing the vocals are always at full-stretch, urgent and literally screaming from the rooftops. What is particularly effective here is some arcane funereal synth work, straight out the deepest dungeon and used subtly, it works wonders and has me expectantly awaiting its arrival on each successive play. Having steered us into a cold and icy place that sends shivers down the spine a massive roar and blasting fury explodes as we look up to the ‘Burning Sky’ sheer Armageddon and apocalypse is the fiery result and its utterly caustic, burning the flesh from the bones.
Guitar weaving is the name of the game on Abomination, coiling round like a serpent as our throat-slinger hollers and a bouncy groove pervades. Flagg also prove that it’s not only Napalm Death who can seize prey like an ‘Apex Predator,’ this charges in with a head full of panic scattering its quarry to the four corners before hungrily catching the slowest game and speedily tearing it limb from limb, blood spraying from the maniacal vocalist in glee. There’s fuck all remorse shown here and the album speeds through things like a lunatic with an axe at a Summer camp. The keyboard work is excellent on tracks like Sixth Sun Salvation matching the gibbering lunacy with an end of world futility and nihilism; there’s not going to be any redemption for the fallen, just twisted mangled limbs. At a compact 38-minute running time this charges through the listener like a whirlwind leaving a windswept terrain that’s utterly bleak in its wake for closer and longest track ‘Towards Emptiness’ to draw a funeral shroud on mankind at conclusion. The last word here is an elongated death rasp but I have a feeling that this opening statement will not be the last we hear of this gripping act. This is the musical equivalent of blowing your head off with a shotgun, the resounding ringing it leaves in the ears and gory carnage it leaves behind is utterly convincing.
(8.5/10 Pete Woods)
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