Flagg – Nothing but Death
Band: Flagg
Title: Nothing but Death
Label: Purity Through Fire
Release date: 8 June 2020
Country: Finland
Format reviewed: High-quality Digital Recording
Earlier this month, Flagg released the debut album “Nothing but Death“. Although mostly a solo project, with Flagg doing what appears to be most, Tyrant is listed to handle the vocals and honestly, I’m not sure which one of them I’m angrier at.
“Destroy, Desecrate” opens up the album with an odd sound with a mishmash of guitars and drums desperately fighting to get into the spectrum. Noticeable right away, there is absolutely no red thread what so ever throughout the whole track and it all sounds like it was recorded in someone´s basement with no vision of what it should sound like at its finished state. The title track, “Nothing but Death”, is more what I would call noise than music. Both the tune of the guitars and the riffs are all over the place and the vocals are desperately trying to spew something over the sound mat, and honestly it made me feel very uncomfortable. Like that scene from The Exorcist when her head went all the way around and she vomited all over the priest. Now, of course I can´t deny the possibility that this was done on purpose, however, I do hope this sound doesn’t come around again.
After some time of listening to out of tune guitars, riffs written at random on top of melodies that are not in the same key and even hearing the copy paste editing, “Abomination” comes around as the first track that actually resembles a song. There is a thread you can follow between the riffs and tempos, and the guitar does try to keep up with only occasional misses in beat. “Apex Predator” is also somewhat alright as well as the production has started to sound like it was actually done at a legitimate location, and the main riff is quite decent.
“Sixth Sun Salvation” includes drums playing one thing, and the guitars something completely different with no sense of rhythm. If this is a thing than I don’t get it, but what I can give the pair is the energy is there. The melody of “Last Breath Drawn” over the blast beat is not followed by the drums, and the guitar sounds to change tone and beat.
I can’t tell exactly which the targeted fan base is and if I have offended anyone with my words I apologize. Some features in black metal might not be for everyone and I believe I have admitted a few times that black metal isn’t necessarily my most favorite thing in the world, but when you are on this level with strange tempos, obvious editing and generally uncomfortable sound you can no longer say “that’s just how black metal is”. It absolutely is not. 1/10 by Julia Katrin
1/10 Turd Alert!
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