Review by Dave Wolff
Rating: ****
"I'm not that seventeen year old kid who exclusively listens to death metal anymore," Fleshwrought founder Navene Kopperweis is quoted as saying. "I'm 25 years old and have gone through many phases throughout my musical quest... My influences always seem to shine through and manifest in my music because the one rule I have followed would be that there are no rules." From these words Fleshwrought sounds like an interesting band fronted by a musician dedicated to his craft. A former member of the grind band Animosity and the experimental/prog metal band Animals as Leaders, he would appear to have an eclectic musical background. From "Mental Illness," the song introducing Dementia/Dyslexia, it is in-your-face evident that he is pushing the creative envelope of extreme music in his own direction. There is enough breakneck blast and inventive guitars jammed into two minutes to establish the listening experience of this album as something different. This creativity seems to compound with each following song, with fretboard gymnastics that sound all over the place albeit of an order all its own. The primary influence here is in death metal, especially in the traditional dual high and low pitched vocals, but underlying the overt brutality are hints of prog metal, early 70s progressive rock and even experimental jazz in several places. Often I had to go back and check out a song twice in order to assimilate everything. The songs are so fast and relentless you might miss something if you’re not paying close attention. There are a few other surprises here that you wouldn’t expect to hear from a death metal band. These you’ll have to experience for yourself, as revealing too much about Dementia/Dyslexia might lessen the impact when you acquire a copy.
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