{"id":620232,"date":"2025-12-08T14:42:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T14:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/620232\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T14:42:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T14:42:15","slug":"fleshvessel-obstinacy-sisyphean-dreams-unfolded-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/620232\/","title":{"rendered":"Fleshvessel – Obstinacy: Sisyphean Dreams Unfolded Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Sisyphus is my favorite character in Greek mythology. It\u2019s why I picked up Obstinacy: Sisyphean Dreams Unfolded, the sophomore release from US-based metal vanguard, Fleshvessel<\/strong>. You see, not only does Sisyphus cheat Death twice\u2014which in itself is hella metal\u2014but in being damned to eternally roll a boulder uphill, he becomes an allegory for the human experience. This endless toil and glorification of the struggle serves as the thematic foundation for Obstinacy, revolving around \u201cour own stubbornness\/persistence as human beings and how it can be both a detriment to, or deliverance from, our collective and individual struggle for a better world.\u201d Fleshvessel<\/strong> has successfully handled such heady concepts in the past. Can they do it again?<\/p>\n

A warped amalgamation of prog and avant-garde ambition, Fleshvessel<\/strong> occupies the most outer rim of death metal. As on 2023\u2019s Yearning: Promethean Fates Sealed<\/a>, Fleshvessel<\/strong> ranges far and wide for their vision. To realize Obstinacy: Sisyphean Dreams Unfolded, Fleshvessel<\/strong> calls upon over 20 instruments, cinematic and literary samples, and at least ten different musical styles. This dizzying array of instruments and influences allows Fleshvessel<\/strong> to create a unique kind of concept album. Rather than telling a single story among several songs, Obstinacy functions as an anthology, each track a vibrant and unique vignette. Even though \u201cAm,\u201d for instance, has a distinctly cyberpunk feel compared to the epic, symphonic bent of \u201cIt Lurched from a Chasm in the Sky,\u201d all four songs still orbit the same Sisyphean motif.<\/p>\n

Obstinacy: Sisyphean Dreams Unfolded by Fleshvessel<\/a><\/p>\n

Fleshvessel<\/strong>\u2019s ability to beat this chaotic mixture into submission is impressive, to say the least. Each instrument, each musical passage blends and bleeds together with a compositionally brilliant hand. It may not always be subtle, pleasant, or intuitive, but there is an undeniable and masterful flow to Obstinacy. The frenetic death metal that opens \u201cMental Myiasis\u201d quickly lays down in a cosmic mire, where a guitar solo, spiraling into a tortured register, transforms into synths so subtly that I often missed the transition. Later in the same song, a beautiful, symphonic passage smoothly whips up into psychotic synths, death metal, and a deranged, \u201cFlight of the Bumblebee\u201d-esque piano before ultimately concluding on a bluesy guitar solo served hard-boiled. A mid-song synthwave melody in \u201cAm\u201d heralds the coming guitar riff, while operatic vocals help smooth over the transition and maintain the song\u2019s cybernetic atmosphere. After listening to Obstinacy, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything Fleshvessel<\/strong> couldn\u2019t fluidly incorporate into their sound.<\/p>\n

\"\"Twelve<\/strong> criticized the programmed drums and pacing issues on Yearning, but neither concern is present here. Unfortunately, Obstinacy\u2019s got its own shortcomings. While Fleshvessel<\/strong>\u2019s songcraft is architecturally astounding, that doesn\u2019t necessarily make it enjoyable. \u201cCessation Fixation\u201d features a bass solo like a Seinfeld transition and some noir ambience reminiscent of Final Fantasy VII, while \u201cIt Lurched from a Chasm in the Sky\u201d houses some groovy space jazz and a Middle Eastern percussion solo. It all fits together from a technical perspective, but such experimental infusions often strain the limits of agreeability. Fleshvessel<\/strong> also introduces a new \u201cheavy metal falsetto\u201d vocal style that feels almost parodic. It\u2019s objectively and intentionally bad. I am quite certain that it\u2019s integral to Fleshvessel<\/strong>\u2019s vision, but to these ears, it\u2019s a bizarre and grating performance. As Mrs Forrest<\/strong> would euphemistically say, \u201cit\u2019s certainly a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fleshvessel<\/strong> is unquestionably comprised of exceptional musicians and composers. Lesser hands could never weave such a vast and varied tapestry as Obstinacy: Sisyphean Dreams Unfolded. Gnarly time signatures and polyrhythmic instrumentation smash and stitch together what should be mutually exclusive elements in a beautifully disfigured testament to the human experience. But technically masterful though Obstinacy is, the scope and prevalence of its experimentation greatly hamper its subjective, emotional, or euphonic accessibility. Ultimately, Obstinacy feels like a proof of concept, showcasing the furthest reaches of possibility. Die-hard prog fans and those with a passion for music theory may get more mileage out of Obstinacy: Sisyphean Dreams Unfolded, but for most, this will reinforce that just because you can, doesn\u2019t mean you should.<\/p>\n

Rating:<\/strong> 2.5\/5.0
DR:<\/strong> 7 | Format Reviewed<\/strong>:<\/strong> 256 kbps mp3
Label:<\/strong> I, Voidhanger Records
Websites:<\/strong> Bandcamp<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> | Instagram<\/a>
Releases Worldwide:<\/strong> December 12th, 2025<\/p>\n

\n\tGive in to Your Anger:\n<\/p>\n