TECHNICAL MUSIC REVIEW
Flub’s monstrous self titled full length officially releases today June 7th. I’ve heard it a handful of times since we got the promotion and grows on you each listen. The band has a super unique sound unlike most death metal bands. It’s not only melodic, it has hispanic and jazz influences occasional on top of their insane tech death style. The band recently signed to The Artisan Era a few months ago, and recently spent some time on the road opening up for Inanimate Existence.
Its definitely one of the most unique and original albums we will probably get this year without a doubt. Flub’s sound is more modern in comparison to “classic” technical death metal such as Necrophagist or Spawn Of Possession, but a lot kookier. Michael’s voice is one of the main reasons why I’m into this band. His short tenure in Alterbeast was wild and got to see him fronting the band last summer. He has a great range, and it shows even in a few years how his growls have matured (Feast was a 2017 release). His stage performance was wild, and pretty sure it still is. It’s one of my favorite voices in death metal now and think it will only get better with time.
What else can you say about Jared Klein that hasn’t been said already? The man drums in one of the coolest bands around Rivers Of Nihil, participates in a grindcore band based off Seinfeld, and recorded the drums for Trayen Burke’s upcoming solo EP. There may be a few more bands he’s in for all I know, but it is a common fact he’s involved in a lot of projects. With a band’s style of Flub, he gets to let loose a bit more than normal. He holds an amazing groove, and is a pretty fast drummer as well….don’t sleep on him by any means. Just because he doesn’t play super fast in Rivers doesn’t mean he can at all….and he shows off such speed on Flub’s full length album. He added some jazzy jams in some of their sections and actually works out well.
Matt Mudd’s bass playing is pretty good too, holding down a great rhythm on his end of things. I noticed he had some pretty wild parts on the album occasionally, which is great since pocket bassist generally bore me. His bass playing is far from boring that’s for sure. Some bands force that jazzy sound into their music, but it’s not the case here with Flub…..it spices things up.
FLUB:
Vocals – Michael Alvarez
Guitars – Eloy Montes
Bass – Matthew Mudd
Drums – Jared Klein
Eloy’s guitar playing is another huge light on this album. He has a sophisticated style with a great change in slower groovy riffs, and some really quick (and fairly complicated) riffs as well to keep your ears guessing. I mean, he used to play in Vale of Pnath which requires a stellar amount of skill….right? Montes’ unique approach to the guitar really punches through on the album and shows off his diverse talents. His playing summed up quickly is tasteful and selective. He’s not showing off, he does what needs to be done and fits each section. He isn’t playing fast for the sake of playing fast, it’s a great treat for your ears on the album. It clocks in just under a half hour so as soon as the album ends, you have to listen to it again to catch things you didn’t the last time around. And there’s even more I didn’t notice the first few times listening to it!
This album is really, really good. As you may follow me on the deep dark web, there’s no hiding my love for Inanimate Existence and Continuum for my 2019 favorites. Those albums have been a challenge to temporarily forget, and listen to all the new releases in the meantime. They always have forced their way back into my rotation somehow, someway. The Flub full length is growing on me, and for all I know could end up in that same rotation for this year. Abnormality and Fractal Universe new releases have also been heavily rotated as far as 2019 releases go as well. Let this album grow on you, and give it a chance. Flub put out a cool piece of music and you should give it a few listens through (not all at once) before you make up your mind. Congratulations to the guys on such an original and awesome release!
Originally published on Technical Music Review. Republished with permission.
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