Search - Fleshgore :: May God Strike Me Dead

Good stuff, for sure!

A. Stutheit | Denver, CO USA | 03/02/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Three years after dropping their debut, "Killing Absorption," Fleshgore blast back onto the scene with a new singer, and a skull-crushing new album, "May God Strike Us Dead." Boasting the same core sound as before (i.e. ginormous, corrosive riffs, ripping solos, remarkably fast, walloping blast beats, and classic grindcore vocals), but also an improved (i.e. a lot crisper, and less muddy-sounding) production job, and more individually memorable songs/standout tracks than before, the new record is a big step forward for the Ukranian death-grind quartet.



The album peels out of the starting gate with tires squealing, and (with the exception of the slower tempo and acoustic guitar intro on the fourth track, "Passion,") it never lets off the gas for the entire duration. The rip-roaring first track, "Crackdown," mows you over with a huge main riff, buzzsaw leads, a careening solo, and vocals which range from deep bellows to, well, deeper bellows. "Day of Doom" continues to scathe away with pounding, doomy riffs, and a series of awesome solos. "Greed" is positively scorching, and is backed by driving blast beats, bulldozing, tractor-sized riffs, a wild solo, and tortured, pig-squeal shrieks. Other highlights include the ridiculously fast drumming and catchy, grooving guitars on "Obtrusion," the abrasive riffing, Nile-esque jackhammer drums, and face-melting solos on "No Way Out!," and "Time to Stop," a blinding avalanche of steamrolling riffs and machine gun blasts.



"May God Strike Us Dead" does very little to reinvent grindcore, and it will doubtlessly only appeal to listeners who are already fans of the genre, but there's absolutely no denying that it is a very enjoyable, exhilarating, and realized affair. All metalheads should definitely take notice of Fleshgore, and if you like your metal stripped down, revved-up, and relentlessly crushing, this album will be your wet dream."

Manic, frantic and dangerous

Murat Batmaz | Istanbul, Turkey | 08/13/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Ukraine's Fleshgore has been around since 2000. Their debut album Killing Absorption came out in 2003 and was received very well in most of the Eastern European countries. They released May God Strike Me Dead in 2005, but a year later, they signed a worldwide deal with The Dark Reign in hopes of reaching a broader audience.



As their name implies, Fleshgore plays a strong mix of death metal with an equal amount of grind and technical death metal elements. The thick, chunky riffage that kicks off "Crackdown" before incessant double bass drums fill the whole song suggest the production recalls Vader and Decapitated. Funny enough, the band have actually recorded the album in the same studio. Other than that, Fleshgore has more of an American death metal vibe going on in their songs, while still sharing some characteristics with bands like Aborted. Fans of Dying Fetus will rejoice when they hear some of these songs. Chock full of razor-sharp riffs, pounding drums and low guttural vocals (albeit unintelligible most of the time), May God Strike Me Dead is also a pretty short album at only 33 minutes. The guitar work of Igor is quite challenging, as he opts for some cool wah pedal work and guitar effects on the weirdly titled "Fag-End"; churns out impressive riffage on "Day of Doom"; lays downs bits of acoustic guitars on "Passion" (which then turns into full death metal assault); and grooves hard on "Obtrusion". There are some interesting chord progressions, such as the one on "No Way Out!", and even though it's pretty far back in the mix throughout the album, the bass rhythm drives this piece to its crushing finale.



There is nothing here you haven't heard before, but what they do they do well. Death metal fans of the aforementioned bands and perhaps Broken Hope and Hate Eternal might want to give Fleshgore a listen."