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Released on March 24, 2015 via Housecore Records
Fulgora are a supergroup consisting of Adam Jarvis of Pig Destroyer and Misery Index on drums, John Jarvis of Pig Destroyer and Agoraphobic Nosebleed on bass, and B.L. LaMew on guitar and vocals. The group has been promising to come out with a full album for a while now with their two splits, Rise/Artifice and Splinter/Crutch. Finally, on the 24th of March, their full length Stratagem was released to the masses.
This album is pure death grind, and as would be expected from members of amazing bands like Pig Destroyer and Misery Index, they do it very well. All of the riffs, whether they tend more to the death metal or grindcore side, are immaculate, and bear a lot of resemblance to Pig Destroyer riffs, which wins them a lot of points in my book.
The record starts out with a vocal sample, and then moves on to the song ‘Splinter’, which is from their second EP split. The song is more death metal than grind or hardcore, and so is the next track, ‘Risen’, which is from their first split. After that is ‘Artifice’, probably my favorite song and the catchiest, which is also from the first split. This is followed by another sample, then ‘Crutch’ from their second split, which has a more hardcore-influenced sound, and then the record wraps up with the fast and pounding ‘Meridian’, which is the only song that is not from a previous EP.
The pros of this album are the artistry behind the riffs, the star power behind the lineup, and how catchy most of the songs are. One of the cons in my opinion is the vocal style, as it tends more on the hardcore side than grindier vocals I am used to with other deathgrind bands. There is absolutely nothing wrong with them in terms of skill and I am sure plenty of crossover hardcore fans will dig it – I just personally prefer the harsher vocals.
My only other complaint about the album is the typical issue with grindcore – all the songs are short and all but one have been on other splits, and it seems a bit unnecessary to have two tracks that are nothing but samples on a record this short. Still, overall, this is a strong album, and will appeal to those who like good, original deathgrind with awesome riffs and a catchy sound.
