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Reaping Flesh – Abyss of Existence [EP]

reaping flesh – abyss of existence [ep]

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Have you ever had the experience of pushing play on a brand new release, and those initial first waves of notes hit you, and it instantly gives you that giant, comforting, warm bear hug of lovable nostalgia? Almost like how the smell of fresh cut grass takes you back to the backyard of your childhood home, there’s the jungle gym, the clothes line and fence. Maybe that episode of a TV show that takes you back to a common, loved, activity done with close friends. Or like how a new picture of an old building can transport you back to that exact building from when you were a child, “I sat right here when there was a counter there and the toy aisle was over there”. Those cherished times brought to you by something brand spanking new. Well, Reaping Flesh’s phenomenal debut EP, ‘Abyss Of Existence’, here impressively and memorable does just that.

This brand new Old School Death Metal band, who started out life out in 2022, Reaping Flesh, hail from Milan, Lombardy area of Italy. Surprising, since you would think, without looking them up, that they were from Florida, by sound alone. And now, in the year 2023, we are getting this band’s debut release of nostalgia inducing Old School Death Metal, right in the height of another Golden Age for the genre. And this nostalgia runs hella deep here, it’s part of absolutely everything, from the classically outstanding album art, the very, very classic looking logo, to the song titles, and to well, yeah absolutely everything. Hell, the band’s promo material even has been quoted as saying that they formed with; “a mission to play no frills, straight forward Death Metal, the way they believed it should be”, ’nuff said. Right?

I mean, for most of us here that is really all we need, so, yeah, right. But I personally still feel like I wouldn’t be doing my duty if I didn’t go on and should really try and explain what this “no frills, straight forward Death Metal” actually sounds like. Even if I happen to use the exact same comparison bands the promo material does, plus a couple, because for once they have gotten it pretty much spot on. The songs on this six track EP sound like they came out of the early day of Death Metal, straight from Satan’s ballsack, which happens to be the state of Florida in the United States. Meaning Reaping Flesh sound like a fantasticly fresh mix of Obituary, Malevolent Creation, Morbid Angel, Death, Massacre, Cancer and Autopsy. And if that’s not enough to really get you going them I honestly do not know what will. But we’ve all reading this been let down when we’ve heard this type of thing before. So is it really any good with all that old school nostalgia being so much of the focus?

Well, to answer that question rather bluntly and simply, it is fucking awesome. Reaping Flesh’s ‘Abyss Of Existence’ is absolutely outstanding and it is outright successful in giving that Old School Death Metal feel we all know and love while still being able to sound like something completely fresh, interesting and new. Accomplishing a feat that has been happening successfully all over pop culture as of late. Much like a bunch of excellent horror themed video games, from high to low budget and some great TV/streaming shows much like one of the best, Stranger Things. With ‘Abyss Of Existence’ Reaping Flesh have taken something retro and made it sound fresh, all the while still paying homage to that cherished nostalgia and overall just being downright fucking awesome, again. And that is actually, and finally, ’nuff said

Redefining Darkness Records

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