FLESHER was formed in 2022 and they are from Indianapolis, Indiana. They are a Death Metal band, and after releasing a first demo last year, their debut full-length album was engineered and mixed by Wesley Heaton (DEMIRICOUS; GRAVERIPPER) and Dan Swanö (BLOODBATH; DARK FUNERAL; MARDUK) mastered it at his Unisound Studio. The album has a length of approximately 36 minutes, and it is an independent release. No videos have been released so far.

The album starts with the atmospheric intro "Enter The Realm", before transitioning into the hammering "Wisconsin 3". It is a mixture of flesh-ripping and thunderous guitar riffing leading the track and a combination of crazy speed and a stomping rhythm with grim melodies and a lot of double-bass drums. The growling vocals range between the medium and the low end of the guttural range and are versatile. "Wisconsin 3" is a good opener to start the album and the Death Metal assault seamlessly continues with "Scroll Of Thoth", where FLESHER move through the verse parts like a steamroller. The chorus parts are frantic, but most parts are crushing at this devastating hammering rhythm with crunching bass lines, thunderous riffs, and the deep growls.

 "Creature Beast" is a head-banger at mid-tempo with powerful riffing and a lot of double-bass. The riffing is simple, direct, and very aggressive. It is its simplicity in the riffing, which gives the track a blood-freezing atmosphere. The second part of the track is a down-tempo part, which fits perfectly to the grim melodies; however, the riffing is a bit lengthy and repetitive towards the end. "The Gates" continues with tempo, rhythm, and spine-chilling sound. The riffing is very aggressive, and the vocals include a few shifts towards higher growls and screams. The riffing and the relentless double-bass bursts drive the track. One main feature of the FLESHER sound is its simplicity, the absence of any technicality and lead guitars. "Curse" fit perfectly into this description, even though the riffing is slightly more complex. The main difference between the tracks are tempo and rhythm, "Curse" is more towards mid-tempo with some subtle shifts in rhythm. As there are no lead guitars, the break sounds at a bit lengthy.

"No Escape" starts with a pre-lude of devastating riffs and screams straight from the abyss transitioning into another steamroller with blood-freezing melodies, driven by the riffing and the vocals. It is the most doom-laden track on the album and FLESHER understand it perfectly to transport a grim atmosphere to the listener. "No Escape" is with almost six minutes one of the longest album tracks, and arguably among the best songs on the album. "In Suffering" is one of the faster album tracks and it is a double-bass thunderstorm. The riffing is again simple and direct, but with a bit more variation compared to most songs on the album. There are a few shifts in tempo and rhythm, mostly around mid-tempo. The album finishes with "Flesher (Will Kill You)" and this one is another head-banger. The track has all the previously described attributes of the FLESHER sound where the focus is on providing a scary atmosphere in particular during the final two-minute sequence.

"Tales Of Grotesque Demise" is the album with the most simplistic Death Metal sound I ever listened to. The simplicity of the FLESHER sound is the strength of the album. Simple and direct riffing, a double-bass hammering, and brutal growls are sufficient to create a grueling and blood-freezing atmosphere on the entire album. Purists might complain about the lack of technicality; however, I think FLESHER found a niche with their sound and they explored this niche on "Tales Of Grotesque Demise". The album is well produced. FLESHER deliver a promising debut album and Death Metal fans will enjoy what "Tales Of Grotesque Demise" has to offer.Purchase Link:

https://flesher1.bandcamp.com/album/tales-of-grotesque-demise