The delicate piano in the album’s intro ‘Ode to Art (De’ sepolcri)’ provides a beautiful musical accompaniment to the angelic voice of Veronica Bordacchini. Slowly the mournful music offers some soothing moments and lets you imagine the opulent opera hall featured on the album cover. The swirling symphonies explode in heavy drumming beats, revealing the sonic brutality of the drums artillery in the next song ‘I Can Never Die’. Through its layered riff bluster and blast beats it is topped by the beasty growls of Francesco Paoli.

The soprano voice contrasts the heavy guitar barrages and vivid solos. The resulting sound is darkly atmospheric and the symphonies thickly transform the song ‘Pendulum’ into a brutal showcase. The drum patterns are incredible and full of unhinged tempos. The orchestration has a rich aural beauty with the guitars pulling out some killer solos and seemingly climaxing into a churning maelstrom of heavy sludgy riffs. Massive walls of sound encompass rapidly changing tempos like the musical gamut of each instrument: from the bass, piano, thundering blast beats, and the erupting growls all fall together into a cohesive performance.

‘Opera’ takes many influences from neoclassical and technical death metal. Thus, the band’s trademark remains the same; the songwriting has a notable refinement. The drumming and the guitars are abrasive and the songs have a great diversity that reflects the individual skills. These elements can be heard on many songs which feature uplifting melodies and orchestral textures making them more organic in feel.

The symphonies sound like windblown flurries backed by a powerful percussive and pound you with a full aggressive drumming attack. Aside from the fleeting guitar melodies Veronica Bordacchini‘s voice conjures up an emotional and dramatic performance. Her chanted vocal melodies jell quite well. ‘At War With My Soul’ offers a hail of chugging guitars and the grand symphonic arrangements act as a counterpoint to the jackhammering riffs. Drums are brutal as each moment offers a hook served on a platter. The momentum of the fifth album is far more dynamic and punctuates the solid aggression from the band.

The ominous element adds to the off-kilter drumming, fueling the rapid and mid-paced tempos that build in rhythm and dynamics. Despite the short length of tracks, ‘Morphine Waltz’ packs a pounding effect to the driving growls of Francesco; dual guitars galloping to the waltzing symphony and the melody is catchy. The singing style of  Veronica Bordacchini on ‘Matricide 8.21′ is very similar to Nightwish. These dramatic moments prove that Fleshgod Apocalypse has refined its sonic formula. With the vivid flow of the arpeggio’s melodies and twined solos, this song includes some spoken words.

The chanting in the background with the aggressive growls sounds bombastic. The melodies in this song are irresistible and infectious. The Italian group has reinvented themself, thus, the musical arrangements and songwriting take a different trend on ‘Opera’.

Whenever the choir and piano intertwine, the music arrests you in absolute darkness, though I can say that Fleshgod Apocalypse has reached the pinnacle of success on the newer album. These elements make ‘Opera’ sound poppy and modern, showing the band’s gimmicks throughout the album. While albums such as ‘Agony’ and ‘Veleno’ brought technical and operatic symphonic elements,  this time Fleshgod Apocalypse emphasized its take on technical/brutal death metal.

‘Per Aspera ad Astra’ is where neo-classical meets symphonic death metal. The pummeling drums are played at breakneck speed and the sweeping orchestral parts and chanting provide compelling driven riffs. The menacing fury adds fire to the aggressive growls. ‘Till Death Do Us Part’ is a beautiful, slow, melodic track before the female vocals become the centerpoint and simultaneously the interplay between the piano and Veronica Bordacchini’s dramatic vocals creates a heart-wrenching song. It has the old school style of melodic death metal.

The sense of balance reverberates with soaring female vocals and the melodic arpeggio guitars, the closing track ‘Opera’ is solely instrumental. The piano and Veronica Bordacchini steal the highlight. Her role on the album provides a memorable and emotional loftiness.

Links