A joyous day, Italian symphonic technical death metal band Fleshgod Apocalypse are back after six years to bestow upon us yet another record to their ever-expanding catalog. The new record, Opera follows 2019’s magnum opus Veleno which I reviewed with much praise HERE. I called Veleno a “monstrous meld of fury and majesty and a terrifying force to be reckoned with”. It is no surprise that I eagerly awaited any new material to cross my desk, and the Italian gods have favored me, and soon you, with Opera.

The record opens with the interlude “Ode to Art (De’ Sepolcri)” which puts us in that opera-tic mood and sets the stage for the aesthetic of the record. The released singles “Pendulum” and “Bloodclock” received mixed reviews and left more than a few listeners scratching their heads with regards to the direction the band was heading. In particular “Bloodclock”, while opening with expected ferocity, felt a nigh lackluster in terms of the heft that Veleno brought. The back half of the track was where the problems began to creep in. The loss in momentum and foregoing of intensity for cinematic grandiosity took away much of the punch created by the first half. Fortunately, “Pendulum” was received much more favorably, leaning more towards the soundscapes crafted by the band on previous releases, and everyone heaved a collective sigh of relief. Still, for many, with only the singles to go off, Opera was off to a rocky start.

After consuming the entirety of Opera, I think the singles capture a lot of what the record hopes to portray, and the songs chosen feel like good choices in retrospect. Opera does feel like it straddles the two worlds that Fleshgod Apocalypse has always tried to occupy at the same time, to varying degrees of success. In my opinion, Fleshgod does its best work when the violence and high-octane musicianship are at the forefront, and the symphonic layers are used to add brush-strokes to the tapestry of torture that the furious riffs and manic double-bass/blast beats create. Where they begin to falter is where they rely overtly on the orchestrations to carry the bulk of the weight of the track and the “death metal” takes a step back.

A great example of the Fleshgod formula done to perfection is the opening track “I Can Never Die”, which is quickly becoming among the best tracks the band has ever released. A winning combination of death metal punishment with just the right amount of flair brought in with the keys, layers, and operatic vocals, perfectly arranged to fill in the spaces left between the guitars, with an extremely catchy chorus I found myself humming days after the first listen. “Pendulum” and “Morphine Waltz” also veer more closely to this winning formula and are enjoyable tracks and prop up the value of Opera. The jagged solos on “Morphine Waltz” had the right amount of technical pizzazz without devolving into wankery, leaning into the death metal side of tech death, and didn’t overstay its welcome. Fleshgod can afford to include more solos in their records because they know how to write good ones! Further along the record, “Per Aspera Ad Aspera” also has several catchy interplays between the brutality of the band’s death metal leanings and their symphonic overtures. While not quite reaching “I Can Never Die” levels of grin-inducing giddiness, the final arrangements of the track do a lot of heavy lifting to make this song among the better ones on the record.

On the other hand, the slower tracks have a much larger focus on the cinematic density created by the myriad layers of synths, strings, and vocals. Sadly, these tracks floundered in achieving that balance that Fleshgod attempts to straddle. Tracks like “At War With My Soul” and “Bloodclock” get lost in the sauce when they rely on orchestrations for their melodies. If
“I Can Never Die” is peak Fleshgod writing, the opposite end of the spectrum is definitely “Matricide 8.21”. The track comes off as an overtly cheesy heavy Nightwish-esque dark symphonic metal with near-pop sensibilities. While definitely the easiest song to digest for those weak-stomached and non-inducted into the more extreme side of metal, “Matricide 8.21” and later “Till Death Do Us Part” would be a great track to showcase how versatile metal can be, and are tracks you’d show your “metal is just noise” friends. But as far as Fleshgod powerhouse tracks, these tracks fall to the bottom of the pile. To give credit where it is due, like the closing moments of “Per Aspera…”, the melodic finale of “Till Death Do Us Part” has the artful maturity of a band that has total control of songwriting. Though much subdued in overall intensity, the final two minutes of the track are a masterwork in writing melodic sections. When led into the album closer, the title track “Opera” with its classic piano arrangements, one really feels that the entire record is a theater performance, and I think that was what the band was aiming for with their ups and downs in momentum, to tell a well-rounded tale. By that yardstick, Opera does succeed to a great extent

In my review of Veleno, I proclaimed that Fleshgod Apocalypse is Francesco Paoli and Paoli is Fleshgod Apocalypse. The multi-instrumentalist demigod has performed nearly every instrument at some juncture of the band’s discography. With metal as extreme as Fleshgod Apocalypse, the fact that Paoli plays guitar and handles vocals simultaneously puts him near the top of the pile of metal role models and musicians we can only hope to be. He also handles bass duties on Opera after the departure of longtime bassist and clean vocalist Paolo Rossi. He has also played drums on Veleno and other records, to the signature hyperspeed that we expect from the band. Paoli is a metal powerhouse and we don’t nearly give him enough credit for his virtuosity. Much of the work that catapults Fleshgod Apocalypse into symphonic stardom is the sheer volume of layers brought by the orchestrations written by Francesco Perrini. Both Francescos (Paoli and Ferrini) are to thank for just how incredibly packed with keys and strings and various orchestral arrangements. Perrini’s classical leanings add a dimension to Fleshgod’s writing that no other band succeeds at bringing to the forefront in a metal setting. The new addition to the band Eugene Rabychenko behind the kit is a stellar choice for the band. He takes up the mantle of pushing the envelope on what can be achieved with two sticks and four limbs. Also new to the band is second guitarist Fabio Bartoletti, and he holds his own. It is difficult to discern the individual writing contributions of new members, especially when paired with longtime powerhouses; only time will tell if he can add his own elements to future records.

Backing vocalist Veronica Bordacchini takes a more central role in the Fleshgod songwriting machine. With the departure of Rossi, she moves from merely adding operatic spice to certain sections of tracks (as on Veleno) to a full-time member of the band. Her vocal range, being a classically trained opera singer shines through and adds so much depth to the songwriting. Her performances on “I Can Never Die” and “Till Death Do Us Part” can easily serve as a showcase of how clean vocals can uplift a song and add to the intensity. However, as with Veleno when her parts take up more airtime on tracks, the musicianship loses momentum to accommodate her vocals, and the pacing falters. Her addition is a mixed bag of extreme highs and low lows and is quite a solid example of the uneven keel on which Opera dances. Even with their missteps, Opera is a stark example of a band trying their hardest to innovate and build upon their songwriting chops and add more diverse elements to their repertoire without severely compromising their identity.

Special note, Fleshgod Apocalypse’s album art has always been really special, opting to stick to the Renaissance painting brand of covers. I adored the cover art for King but thought that the artwork for Veleno was too abstract for my taste. I am happy to report that Opera captures that artsy leaning of King and is a near-perfect representation of the sound that Fleshgod Apocalypse puts out.

While not shooting to instant stardom as their previous record Veleno, Opera is filled with several victorious moments and stellar tracks. Sadly, some of the slower tracks take away from what fans will expect from the manic ferocity of a Fleshgod Apocalypse record. An open mind will be required to appreciate these new moments. When thought of as a complete theatric art piece to be consumed from curtains to end credits, Opera definitely lives up to its namesake, a showcase of masterful symphonic technical death metal.