Flaming Wrekage - Terra Inferna
Terra Inferna, translating to Land/Territory>Hell is 40 minutes of fire and fury. The producer, Chris Themelco has worked with Flaming Wrekage a few times now, and the tight working relationship has resulted in one hell of an album. The Sydney four piece took their time during pre-production, working with Chris to map out what they wanted to achieve and how they wanted to structure the songs and the album. The time and effort that the band put into this very important (and often forgotten) step really does show when you listen to the final output. Their meticulousness and preparation during that period allowed Flaming Wrekage more time during the recording to experiment with their sound. They used a lot of vintage equipment and different amps, and while the sound is overall a lot grander and larger that anything they have done before, it still sounds organic and real.
Upon first listen, you will have the pleasure of being treated to a hard hitting and pummelling 40 minutes full of heavy riffage, pinpoint drumming and venomous vocals, however, it would be a monumental shame and disservice to the band to pigeonhole Terra Inferna as a straight ahead thrash metal album. After multiple listens, you begin to open up to the dynamic structures that have been crafted, and the variation that seeps through every track begins to surface and swallow you up. Cathedral of Bones was solid and certainly showed glimpses of the band expanding into a broader palette, take “Sin Survives”, “The Voiceless” or “Altar of Lies” as examples. So, the blueprint was there, but sometimes it just takes a band to mature a little, or in the case of Flaming Wrekage, their lineup is now settled, and that brings confidence in each other, and allows for a more collaborative approach during the writing.
The writing process for Terra Inferna was also diverse. Previously, the songwriting was driven by the guitars, and there is nothing wrong with that approach, especially if you are as skilful as these dudes are. But, for Terra Inferna, the band used different approaches and elements to build a song and an album around, whether that be a drum fill or a Japanese guitar scale. As a result, there is so much more space on Terra Inferna, which is a signifier of a mature band and a vision that is not singular. That space also allows the vocals to explore different cadences, and when that occurs, it breeds and delivers the key to memorable music: hooks.
Clean guitars are used to open up tracks, bridges are constructed in a manner that does not back the band into a corner where they have to rely on repetition in the back end of songs, and most importantly, nothing sounds forced or derivative. Flaming Wrekage are technical, but their backbone is analogue and that keeps them grounded – grounded in hell! There are even synths used here, which gives the mix a depth that is often missing from the modern thrash/death scene. While Terra Inferna cannot be categorised easily (genre wise), bands like Psychroptic (recent albums) and Lamb of God are decent markers.
Thematically, Terra Inferna is one of those albums where you can take from it what you want. For Dave Lupton (vocalist), it is a very personal album though. One look at the amazing artwork will give you the sense that he has been on quite the emotional journey. But, as you can see in the distance, there is a light and there is hope, but you are going to have to walk through hell on earth to get there. While that all sounds earnest, one look at the video to 2nd single “Ghosts” will be enough to reveal that these lads are Aussie through and through!
Flaming Wrekage are 10 years in, which is an accomplishment in itself given the saturated and bloated metal landscape. A band like Flaming Wrekage could easily get lost in the mix if they didn't continue to push themselves. And, as good as Terra Inferna is, they are not even close to hitting their peak, and that is exciting. If they continue to put the work in (as they have done here), and continue to challenge themselves creatively, and work together, then there are special things ahead.
Killer album!
Releases, April 26th, 2024
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