Style: Progressive Black Metal (mixed vocals)
Review by: Callum
Country: United Kingdom
Release date: June 4, 2021
Let me be up front about this from the get go. This record wins no awards for its production (and not in the kvlt way, trve to the lo-fi origins of the genre). It’s compressed, flat, and seemingly wasn’t mixed with the impressive, multi-layered instrumentation and vocal dynamics in mind. The instruments sound inorganically removed from one another, like there’s a concrete wall in between them. It’s not good. If I haven’t lost you so far – and you haven’t had a cheeky scroll down to the final score to dismiss anything lower than an 8 or 9 (you know who you are) – here comes the big BUT. The record is otherwise an engaging, refreshing, and wholly progressive feat that shouldn’t be overlooked.
As the fifth release of this enigmatic UK-based group, their composition skills have rightfully matured over time, and the song writing and structure are some of the biggest strengths of the record. After somewhat diverging from their aggressive black metal roots in the past decade, Flyblown Prince is more of a return to the brutality of 2009’s Resplendent Grotesque, only with several more years of experience under their belts and a new drummer, bassist and – crucially – a new vocalist. Wacian has a distinctive style that flows between poetic spoken or barked words, maddening and aggressive growls and operatic cleans somewhere between Jón Aldará (Barren Earth/IOTUNN) and Toby Driver (Kayo Dot, Maudlin of the Well). It’s this style that adds a unique drama to the bleak and hostile instrumentation. “From the Next Room” and the closer, “The Mad White Hair”, for example, lean mostly on the progressive side of metal, as opposed to black, and feature almost exclusively clean vocals delivered through whispers and melodramatic wails. An acquired taste for some perhaps.
Code shines more in tracks that meld their recently acquired progressive style with the black metal of old. Opener, “Flyblown Prince” and the penultimate “Scolds Bridle” are heavy and suffocating, true to form, while retaining moments of progressive refreshment. Unexpected guitar trills, tempo and groove switch ups, and, again, highly dynamic vocal delivery all contribute to this. Periods of slow-picked, dissonant guitar chords are also a large part of the unsettling atmosphere on the record. Dreamy, gothic, and even sludgy in places, the guitar and bass work is very well written and helps to deliver a very fresh take on black metal. It is a huge shame just how much the production holds this record back. If it were cleaned up and the kick drum didn’t sound like someone slapping a big ol’ fish around it could be great. Otherwise, it unfortunately makes the record difficult to revisit any time soon.
Recommended tracks: The Mad White Hair, Flyblown Prince, Rat King
Recommended for fans of: Virus, Moonspell, Borknagar
Final verdict: 6.5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Label: Dark Essence Records – Website | Facebook
Code is:
– Aort (guitars)
– Andras (guitars, backing vocals)
– Lordt (drums)
– Syhr (bass, backing vocals)
– Wacian (vocals)
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