BEKOR QILISH is the avant-garde extreme metal project of the Italian songwriter/vocalist, Andrea Bruzzone. Bekor Qilish is the Uzbek term for abolishment. “The Flesh Of A New God” is their second album and features guest musicians, John Mor, Otus Rex, and Giulio Galati on guitars, bass, and drums, respectively. It will be released September 22nd, 2023, on I, Voidhanger Records. I thoroughly enjoyed their debut album, “Throes Of Death From The Dreamed Nihilism,” so I jumped at the opportunity to review the follow-up.

The album opener, “Defaced Background,” forgoes an intro, starting with a blast of chaotic, apocalyptic, in-your-face metal. Bruzzone’s vocals are mostly black metal rasps with low growls thrown in for good measure. The keyboard parts provide much-needed serenity, balancing out the fierce cacophony that occupies the majority of the track. I also enjoyed Mor’s guitar riffs immensely. The first three tracks are a lot to process, and, thankfully, the instrumental, “Unaware Gods,” offers a brief respite, capping off side A just nicely.

The final three tracks are as demanding as the rest of the album. “The Flesh Of Terror” begins with some great black metal, then gets considerably more dense. It’s as if each instrument is playing a different, but complementary song. The vocals are impressive, especially Bruzzone’s long, drawn-out screams. There’s an industrial-sounding droning synth played over Galati’s drums that gives the listener somewhat of a break before dialing up the intensity once more. The wailing vocals that come in later are a nice touch.

I expected the track, “Infinite Self-Reflecting Circles,” to sound more like something from ORIGIN or MESHUGGAH. Instead, this track is one hundred percent BEKOR QILISH. It starts with a looping guitar riff. Otus Rex’s bass line is a perfect backdrop for Mor’s melodic tremolos. I was pleasantly surprised to hear a mind-blowing saxophone part. After all of that awesomeness, the song ends with an unsettling organ piece.  The album closer is another instrumental. “Beggars” is on the slower side. It’s melodic and pleasant sounding, especially after such an impenetrable forty minutes. The keyboards help to complete the track. This closing track gives you a chance to reflect on what you just heard, and I love that.

There aren’t many bands doing what Andrea Bruzzone is doing with BEKOR QILISH and that’s a very good thing. “The Flesh Of A New God” is not an album that can easily be listened to casually, as is the case with the majority of I, Voidhanger releases. There’s just so much to process. It is quite rewarding, especially upon repeated listens. This album is metal nerd music for metal nerds and I suggest listeners eliminate distractions for forty-one minutes and dive in headfirst.