Flourishing - Intersubjectivity (2012)

Let us crawl into the infernal depths of the fetid abyss, where we find the rugged and dehumanized sound that makes US trio Flourishing the kind of weird entity that they are. It's awfully funny that these guys would call themselves Flourishing, as there's nothing about this sound that even feels like it should flourish in the way that one might plant a field of flowers of something. There's nothing but a bed of dead roses here, albeit some very well crafted roses with a very rustic sort of feel. Perhaps they're the kind that double as spy cameras or something of that nature. When the harsh vocal approach isn't being utilized, these guys actually treat us to a bit of what I might actually term to be “progressive” instrumentation. I love the approach to the drumming here especially, as it sounds far from the blasts I'm used to and feels more subdued in the sense to build up an atmosphere. This whole EP seems much longer than it is, sheerly due to this more calculated nature of performing music. Flourishing don't sound like they're trying to blast your ears out, and instead make me think of a rather devious form of metallic calculus. The compositions here sound like mathematical equations when they're not wholeheartedly morbid and most certainly misanthropic. I'm not really sure what you would consider these guys in terms of a genre tag, but there's obviously some elements of post-metal to be found within this very terrifying mixture that actually takes enough time out for guitar solos, and what I can consider to be a moment of pure, twisted awesomeness within it's closing note. I really don't want to spoil too much of this one, it's a real treat and a bit of a trick as well... the kind that has you on the floor bleeding, while you're pondering your place within the span of existence. Whatever it is that Flourishing are trying to achieve with this EP, it definitely caught me by surprise and I'd certainly recommend it to all those who are looking for something a little unconventional when it comes to extreme metal and even atmosphere in general. I'd like to hope that this one wasn't just some unfortunate fluke and that we're just starting to ascend a rather rickety, yet elaborate staircase into some kind of tortured grandeur.

EDIT: Unfortunately, it is. Enjoy it while it lasts, as these guys have been split up since the release of this record. It doesn’t seem like either of these three gentlemen are in any other projects. A real loss.

(3 Tracks, 20:00)

9/10