UMUR "Dilemmantrauma" is an EP release by Finnish sludge/doom metal act Fleshpress. The EP was released through Kult of Nihilow in 2000. It´s the band´s first release after forming in 1998. Fleshpress features among others the rather prolific Mikko Aspa (Clandestine Blaze, Deathspell Omega, Stabat Mater...etc.) on drums.

"Dilemmantrauma" features 8 tracks and a total playing time of 26:50 minutes, so there is enough quantity for the money despite the EP label. The quality of the material also follows suit, and "Dilemmantrauma" features some strong and ultra heavy, blues based stoner/sludge metal. There is a strong similarity to the early output of Eyehategod. Often to the point of Fleshpress moving well into worship territory. The clone factor could have been a turn-off but Fleshpress understand how to deliver this type of music with the right amount of rawness and filthy authenticity. The heavy fuzzy distorted riffs and heavy and groove laden rhythms are complimented by screaming hardcore vocals (or blackened screaming if you prefer that description), and there is no doubt that these guys love every note they play.

Fleshpress don´t break any new ground with "Dilemmantrauma", but as it´s a both well performed, well produced (featuring a dark, murky, and fuzzy sounding production, which suits the music perfectly), and well written, the lack of an original sound matters less than it would normally do in my world. The organic playing, irresistable groovy rhythms and heavy riffs, and the thick aggressive dark atmosphere which threatens to suffocate the listener are great treats on "Dilemmantrauma" and upon conclusion it´s a high quality release. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Fleshpress" is the eponymously titled debut full-length studio album by Finnish sludge/stoner/doom metal act Fleshpress. The album was originally released on vinyl through Kult of Nihilow in 2002 and was limited to 332 copies. It was re-released on CD in February 2004 through Shifty Records. Fleshpress formed in 1998 and released the "Dilemmantrauma" EP in 2000. Fleshpress features among others the quite prolific Mikko Aspa on drums. He is known for his involvement in acts like Deathspell Omega, Creamface, Clandestine Blaze, and Stabat Mater.

The music on the album is a repetitive and dark form of sludgy doom metal with sparse screaming and rather extreme vocals (sometimes providing the music with a blackened touch). It´s gloomy and depressive (even though a song title like "Jumibian Bongoloid" also suggests that the bandmembers possess some humour), but the occasional 70s blues infused doomy riff pops up from time to time (stoner), making this a more varied release, than what the initial impression might be. The sound production is organic and very "basic". No fancy polish here. The musicianship is decent, and the music is delivered with the right organic touch. The main influence (besides the obvious Black Sabbath reference), is arguably early Eyehategod, and there is a similar sick, dark, and twisted atmosphere to the output of Fleshpress. This is bleak, aggressive, and ultra heavy music.

There´s no doubt that "Fleshpress" is an interesting debut release by Fleshpress, but the repetitive nature of the tracks and the relatively sparse arsenal of stylistic elements, do result in the music becoming slightly tedious at times. I´m sure not all listeners feel this way though, and if you enjoy early 90s sludge this is definitely an album you should give a listen. I´d however recommend the "Dilemmantrauma" EP over this one. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Acid Mouth Strangulation" is the 5th full-length studio album by Finnish blackened sludge metal Fleshpress and the first studio album by the band since "Pillars (2007)". "Acid Mouth Strangulation" was released through Svart Records in October 2011.

The music on the album is sludge metal with a blackened edge. The riffs are brick heavy, the rythms likewise and the vocals are raspy and delivered with a caustic conviction. When the band let loose during the most energetic parts they really shine with an irresistible heavy and sludgy groove but during the more hypnotic, repetitive and mellow parts the music unfortunately drags a bit. The first couple of minutes of the opening track "Glass Trails" is an example of when the latter style works well though while the last 12 minutes of the 19:14 minutes long closing track "Oblivion Persistent" is an example of the opposite. In the end, with only 3 tracks distributed over a 36:02 minutes long playing time, the dragging parts last a little too long not to affect my rating.

The atmosphere on the album is ridden with despair and desperation and the band´s ability to create a bleak and dark atmosphere is one of the assets of the album.

"Acid Mouth Strangulation" is a well produced, well played and for the most part well written album and if it wasn´t for some of the more repetitive dragging parts I think a 4 star (80%) rating would have been fully warranted. As it is now I´d say a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

Doomster Fleshpress, along with Dirge from France and Ocean Chief from Sweden, are one of the most criminally underrated metal bands I have ever heard. Their fourth album, "Pillars" was released in 2007.

Fleshpress are a truly remarkable band. The Finnish group (who also feature Mikko Aspa on drums, but don't get too excited, DSO fans - this band is far different), despite being very obscure, have pumped out various black metal influenced sludge metal albums in the past. While the band have often been called black metal, it's only in the vocals, which are a violent high-pitched shriek. While the first three Fleshpress albums were straight up sludge, their fourth album, and their magnum opus in my opinion, "Pillars" is where the band really shows off their black metal influence. It's a superb album, and is up their with my favorite albums of 2007, if not the. "Pillars" is also a lot longer than Fleshpress' other three albums, which never breached the 40 minute mark - "Pillars" takes up almost all of the CD time, at 77 minutes.

As soon as the first song, "I Am Your Sacrifice" kicks off, you know the band is taking a different direction. A sampled noise which sounds akin to chains being dragged around a dungeon floor kicks in, followed by a desolate, solitary guitar sound. This "riff" focuses more on discord than actual melody - fans of Khanate will definitely like this part. The riff echoes on for a few agonizing minutes, before the entire band comes crashing in making the experience even more dreadful - the band grinds away at a gruelingly slow pace, with an exceptionally sinister riff and guitar feedback digging themselves into the listener's brain like maggots devouring the corpse of a dead animal. Marko, the vocalist, then makes his first mark (no pun intended) with his signature black metal shrieks. "Fall down, like a whore with need to hurt" stresses Marko on the first line. Which brings me to another point - the vocals and lyrics on this album are very minimal. The band only writes a few lines per each song, but at the same time, the vocals are used enough to keep the music from getting stale.

The band continues "I Am Your Sacrifice" at the same gruelingly slow pace, when suddenly, everything heavy stops, and gives way to a sea of feedback and discordance. Suddenly, your skull is crushed when the band plows back in, with a super sped up version of the sinister riff - this part would not be out of place on an Eyehategod album. The track ends rather abruptly, fading into the second track. My favorite Fleshpress song? Maybe not, but up there with "Trust No One - Coming Home" and "Asphalt".

The listener should already be completely exhausted by the absolute slab of brutality that was the first song, so it's hard to imagine what the rest of the album is like. The title track is an interesting 6 minute noise track to say the least, with no real music, but it doesn't have any real value - the same goes for the closing track "Ave Nihil" which is more or less 10 minutes of noise.

"Disciples Of Nothingness" is the next track on the album where the band actually plays. This track really shows their black metal influence. It gets to the point rather quickly, with some Darkthrone-esque evil laughing followed by a sinister, blazing fast tremolo riff. The song continues this black metal fest for about three minutes, before collapsing into a gigantically massive sludge riff which crawls along at a snail's pace, abandoning the vocals for a good few minutes and instead of sounding "grim" like the first few minutes now focuses on sounding like the band's intention is to split the planet clean in half.

"Omega Monolith" is by far the most atmospheric track on the album. It's very uneventful, but it's not bad at all. The vocals are very minimal in this 23 minute track. It doesn't have any massive sludge build ups, and is not very rewarding, but it's still a pretty great track nonetheless.

"Grave Within" is another one of my favorites. It's terrifyingly atmospheric with a massive organ/guitar buildup at about 5:51 which then explodes into a powerful sludgy groove. "Ave Nihil" is just noise, so I can't really expand on that one.

Fleshpress are definitely one of the more unique bands out today. This album is incredibly dark and disturbing and is one of my top albums of '2007. Doom on.