top of page
Search
intothewellsabyss
Nov 29, 20224 min read

Fleshcrawl - Into the Catacombs of Flesh (2019)

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓𝐒 - 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋…



On November 29, 2019, Fleshcrawl released their long-awaited, ninth full-length studio album Into the Catacombs of Flesh via Apostasy Records.



Personal Thoughts:

Following a 12 year break, German Death Metallers Fleshcrawl returned with the follow-up to their stellar 2007 release Structures of Death. Those who are in the know already have an inkling of what to expect from Fleshcrawl. For those who are not, Into the Catacombs of Flesh is old-school Death Metal, with a slight hint of HM-2 added for good measure. Fleshcrawl compose dynamic Death Metal with aggression, but with enough melody to keep things interesting. But, don’t let the melody fool you, as Fleshcrawl definitely brings the brutality in tracks like the iron hewn heavy-hitter Obliteration Bizarre. Believe me when I say that this track hits as hard as a knockout punch from boxing champ Mike Tyson. Other tracks like Suffer the Dead (with its propulsive rhythm and sense of familiarity), is chocked full of hooks while resonating with alternating patterns, almost giving the song a "swing" feel. An interesting touch if I do say so myself.



All in all, Into the Catacombs of Flesh proved that Fleshcrawl could (and still can) deliver vital, energetic, old-school Death Metal. This album is a “must have” for any fan of Extreme Metal. — E.N. Wells



Into the Catacombs of Flesh Release Show:

On Friday, November 29, 2019 Fleshcrawl held a release show for their comeback album Into the Catacombs of Flesh. The release show was held at Rock It Aalen, Aalen, Germany with special guests Carnation.



Supporting Tour:

On January 17, 2020, Fleshcrawl began their run of European dates at the Elpee Cafe/Live Music club in Deinze, Belgium (with the band Mouflon) and on the 18th they began their run of festival appearances with the Drachten Deathfest. Among the bands tour dates, they also appeared at Summer Breeze 2020, the Aaargh Festival 2020 and Party San Open Air 2020.



Critical Reception:

In a review for Voices from the Darkside, Michael Kujawska stated;

“ Into The Catacombs Of Flesh’delivers all trademarks the band is known for. Solid but technical Death Metal with a Swedish painting. Solid and memorable Death Metal with good hooks, fine melodies, a memorable refrain and damn good, precise drumming. Especially the solo part in the end is really worth to check and delivers high standard Death Metal and shows the quality range of the band. Mass Obliteration has a Hardcore vibe and even the grunts are well done before the lead parts bring back the track to good old Death Metal. The spoken passages are really well-done and combined with the melody, the track is another killer. Ossuary Rituals continues very groovy and has a certain Grave vibe and convinces totally with its thick guitars and the cool vocals and the once again good lead melody. Funeral Storm could also have fitted on one of the last albums of mighty Unleashed and unleashes a real little storm before Grave Monger hails the horde from Visby once again. I could easily go through all tracks of the album as it has no fillers but the trilogy starting with Obliteration Bizarre is really worth to mention here as this is a damn killer and with its outstanding melody it is one of the best tracks I heard for a long time. It leads into Red Streams Of Sorrow and both tracks are the quality I would expect from a new album of Dismember as Fleshcrawl fills the space they left and when I hear the solo, this is the real deal. I can not explain how damn good the track is! But the guys deliver another one with ‘Of Frozen Bloody Grounds which finally brought me back into the 90s. The solo in this one is the cause I still live and breathe Death Metal. Thank you for these killer tunes. For more info, check one of the following sources or simply order your copy from the dealer you trust.“

The Death Sven "Svenson" Gross:

Fleshcrawl vocalist Sven "Svenson" Gross of died on Friday, June 11, 2021 following a one-year battle with cancer. He was just 44 years old. The news was broken by the band in a heartfelt message on social media. The second main vocalist of the band, Sven joined in time for the Bloodred Massacre album and provided lead vocals on nine other albums, including 2019’s Into the Catacombs of Flesh (Apostasy Records), and a then-unreleased demo EP (due out summer 2021). Sven was not only a great vocalist, but a dynamic presence live, if you had ever seen him. Again, we here at Into the Wells send our condolences to his family, friends, and fans at this time.



Taking to social media, Fleshcrawl drummer Bastian Herzog wrote;

“Svenson it is hard to find the right words in situations like this one. Probably even impossible. For me personally this really is a hard thing to get over…
We knew each other for more than 25 years.
Haven’t been many days during this period where we did not spend time together talking, writing, discussing, partying, drinking, BBQ-ing, making plans, playing shows, rehearsing, travelling, waiting in countless backstages or whatever…
You gonna leave a big gap right here in my 🖤 which cannot be filled anymore…
Thank you for having been a real friend, one of the most precious human beings this planet had to offer and of course a really awesome and iconic frontman, band mate and hell of a vocalist of FC!
I truely enjoyed each and every second watching you go berserk on stage as a real warrior of death while I was beating the shit out of all those drumkits behind you!
Thank you for the great ride! You always lived life to the max, keep on doing it whereever you are now! We’ll rock on again together on the other side – someday.
And I’ll make sure to bring some Wasseralfinger 😋
My deepest condolences go out to Sven’s wife Dany and both of their families. — Basti (drums) #F**kCancer


Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells



Follow Us:






1 view0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments

Post: Blog2_Post
bottom of page