While it’s classified as an EP, Flood Peak’s recently released Fixed Ritual only clocks in at a minute less than their 2018 debut Plagued by Sufferers. But regardless of the format, it’s clear the Portland based band has spent the last three years further tweaking their take on black metal, sludge, and doom with equal emphasis on abrasive riffs and rhythms as well as atmospheric build-ups. It’s a release that showcases its jagged edges and harsher aesthetics early on before settling into a sprawling yet no less emotional approach on the second half. This segmented approach works in Flood Peak’s favor and showcases two very different sides of the same band, giving listeners who appreciated their previous effort as well as newcomers plenty to get pulled in by.
Sludge and doom tend to either start off with pummeling instrumentation or methodical build-ups, and with opener “Urnfield” Flood Peak has chosen the former. Listeners are likely to be immediately drawn in by the jagged rhythms and sudden transitions that recall the rumbling faster paced sludge of bands like Black Cobra but have a black metal and noise rock edge to them. While the tempo does slow down a bit as the song progresses, there’s a punchier feel to the song and the dissonance of the riffing gives off a much denser and haunting feel than is sometimes typical for the genre. This approach continues for the first three songs, with the black metal tonality and slower, methodical tempos bringing European bands like Amenra and Celeste to mind, though these guys still manage to switch things up with some softer passages that let a sense of darkness and dread fester. Once you reach the final two tracks on Fixed Ritual the songwriting spreads outwards significantly with softer melodies that build over time to crushing climaxes. Here Flood Peak comes a bit closer to post rock and doom than the black metal and sludge of the first half, but the tone remains just as dark and there’s plenty of emotion dripping from each note. Admittedly “Salve Curator” and “Feral Wraiths” do adopt some similar riffs and blend together a bit upon repeat listens, but the opener and two closing tracks prove to be downright hypnotic in how they’re able to twist and turn.
The instrumentation may move from crushingly dense and dissonant riffing to much softer, melodic elements, but the vocals remain firmly on the harsh side of the spectrum. This is where Flood Peak is likely to remind listeners of some of the other US sludge bands out there, as guitarist Peter screams with such an abrasive tone that it consistently cuts through the layers of sound. On “Way of the Sea” there is a transition over to some whispered spoken word sections as the band builds up towards its immense climax, but for the majority of the EP the screams dominate the recording and really up the intensity of the material. Additionally, with the emphasis on softer interludes and longer stretches of vocal-less sections it allows each appearance to leave an impression and keeps the performance from seeming too repetitive.
With their latest EP Flood Peak has showcased that they have the ability to move between dissonant and pummeling black metal and sludge as well as slow things down and explore more sprawling songwriting. The two halves fit well together and channel just as much raw emotion and darkness no matter what speed the band is going, and while there still remains room for them to weave together these elements into a truly unique mix these songs have enough substance to draw listeners back for more. Where a lot of doom and sludge tends to take a similar approach, Flood Peak shows a lot of promise and can draw in influences from across the extreme metal spectrum that give them an advantage. Fixed Ritual is available from Anima Recordings.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg
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