This album was released on May 24^th, 2019 on Nuclear Blast Records.

Symphonic death metal is a spectacle. I have never cared much for it, but after seeing Fleshgod Apocalypse in the lineup for this week’s reviews, I wanted to give myself a little bit of catalogue listening so I knew what to expect (I do this for some bands I know of but haven’t listened to, it’s only fair). This band has gone through so much of a drastic change in production and quality as time has progressed that Veleno isn’t even comparable to their older music. Through the use of engaging melodies, a newfound sense of urgency from the two new guitarists in the band, and the inclusion of real, orchestral instrumentation, Veleno stands as a piece of art that can be examined and deciphered for hours and hours on end.

As far as technicality goes, this is one proficient album. Delivering on all fronts, new guitarists Francesco Paoli (already with the band, just at a different position) and Fabio Bartoletti play some punishing riffs and work with some very intricate melodies to create the backbone for the record. When “Fury” kicks in, the band goes straight to work crafting a sound that has been expanded upon by their previous album King. The only drawback to this sound is that it sounds similar in regards to their previously-released record by using the same concepts to create the atmosphere that is present on Veleno. Of course, the band was able to incorporate jaw-dropping sections, such as “Carnivorous Lamb” boasting an insane solo halfway through the song, or the drumming assault on “Worship and Forget”. In fact, the drumming on this album as a whole is nothing short of insane.

Vocally, Francesco Paoli (who was mentioned already as a new guitarist) puts together a wonderful vocal performance, but the true highlight is Veronica Bordacchini’s soprano vocals that have been featured on previous Fleshgod Apocalypse albums. The criticism that the band seems to get is that they do too much with what they have at their disposal, resulting in chaos for the sake of chaos. Bordacchini’s vocals were used in the perfect capacity on this record, and her singing added an entirely new dimension to the ambience of the album.

Overall, the claims that Fleshgod Apocalypse does too much doesn’t strike me as outlandish. The new record is bombastic, it’s technical, and it has about a million different elements crammed into a fifty-minute runtime. Despite all of this, Veleno strikes me as the best Fleshgod Apocalypse album to date, and is a logical (and successful) progression from King. Where they go from here is anyone’s guess, but it won’t take much for them to capitalize on this album.

Rating: 7/10

Favorite Songs: “Sugar”, “Monnalisa”, “Pissing on the Score”