Rafflesia “Embrace the Final Day” CD

"Embrace the Final Day" is the debut full-length from Rafflesia (on Genet Records), one of the new breed of H8000 metalcore bands from Belgium. And of course this means their sound is far more metal than hardcore, taking the scathing screams/growls, chugging rhythms, and thick death metal-esque picking patterns and note-based riffs of that 90's era of European metalcore and blending in a more contemporary form of dissonance (and sporadic guitar solos) with touches of Swedish-infused melodic attributes. They don't take the melodic Swedish angle too far, however, so thankfully most of the riffs are built around that dense core of chunky power chords and churning tremolo picking runs with occasional hints of powerful breakdowns and even a few quick little clean breaks. I don't even know what more to say, really. Solid recording with a good level of crisp, clear density and just the right amount of added thump from the bass presence, solid layout with cool looking artwork that matches the apocalyptic tone of the lyrical content... that about does it. It's not a particularly diverse album, but neither were the early classics from the H8000 scene, so that's not an issue at all. This is a strong debut that should appeal to most listeners that have been interested in the H8000 niche over the years, as well as some of those who may be too young to really be aware of it!

Rafflesia "Annihilation"
Rafflesia "The Beauty of Silence"

I'm not seeing this one around at any US distros yet, so you'll have to keep checking around in the coming months. Until then, you can grab it from Genet's massive online store at Pyrrhus:

Pyrrhus Records