This grows on you. Flesh of the Stars toy with doom, post rock, melody
and silence to create a cohesive, flowing album where each track blends into
the next and can be played on repeat without feeling forced. Anhilla is rooted
by a sparse doom riff reminiscent of Encircling Sea’s work and the riff, &
variations on it, emerge on each track. The album really starts to show promise
6 minutes & change into the 2nd track; the vocals suddenly tease
you with harshness then jump into a deconstructed Sabbath riff which
transmogrifies into a synth groove reminiscent of the Dr Who theme on track 3. The guitar gets a little heavier & a
little proggier, and the vocals become more varied & collaborative. Track 4
melds into a Pink Floydesque vibe. 5 features a really beautiful solos leading
into somber, effective vocals.
With few notable exceptions, clean singing is not my cup of
tea and FOS utilizes them exclusively on Anhilla. That said, they don’t suck. At their best, the
flat affect melds well with the doomier aspects, lulling you into a warm
cocoon, but the more ambitious melodic delivery on other tracks did nothing for
me. you find yourself hoping for a
release –something crushing, something shriekier, more guttural. That said, the hunger for the release was a
large part of why I kept it on repeat. Don’t single out a track. Make time to
listen straight through. 