The Bearded Dragon Productions is re-releasing the grindcore project Redemption of the Flesh by Flactorophia originally from 2006 as their debut release.
In the big picture, Flactorophia has been a relatively unknown, unheard Christian grindcore band largely because there was only one release in 2006 and in 2008, the leader of the project Jose Barragan tragically passed away in a fire that also claimed 5 members of the band Zelestial. The album is being re-released on the 10th anniversary of that tragedy.
Make no mistake, this is raw, demo-quality grindcore with the eight songs clocking in around 8 minutes total and some of the tracks have samples thrown in to the intros. Surprisingly, the first track “Regurgitation….” starts out with a bit of melody and groove to it before the guttural vocals and blast beats come in. As one might imagine, vocals are unintelligible, but then again this is fast grindcore. “In the Heart of God” amps things up a bit and as the song tears through at breakneck speed. Vocals degenerate into squeals and growls as the guitars grind out a fast riff. This is the trend throughout the rest of the album, songs are thankfully short and brutal. Vocals sound as if someone is actively tearing out Jose Barragan’s throat during the songs and in some cases one can pick out an underlying melody in some sense. Production quality is incredibly rough…think one-take demo, which does a bit of disservice to the songs as there are some interesting things going on. This will be a little bit of history for those who know the band and for the rest of us, a glimpse into the past. The “Hidden Track” (instrumental) is likely my favorite on the album, and not because I don’t like the vocals but it seems to be the most complete of the songs and at times has a bit of a groove and rhythm to it that is kinda catchy.
Rating: 6/10
Written by John Jackson
Track listing:
1. Regurgitation Demons Outside the Human Flesh
2. In the Heart of God
3. Where Is Your Daughter
4. One Question & One Answer (Vomitorial Corpulence cover)
5. Provider of Love
6. The Sin Eater
7. Scream in the Darkness
8. Hidden Track [Instrumental]
Band Members
Jose Barragan – all instruments, vocals
Record Label: The Bearded Dragon Productions, April 2018 (original release in 2006)