A name like Flourishing, like pretty much all band names, evokes certain imagery and this New York death metal trio churn out a ghastly slab of dissonant sounds that completely combats the initial images of beautifully blossoming flowers. But in a strange sense, The Sum of All Fossils, the band’s first full-length, does conjure up its own unfurling… flourishing beauty, as thick, heaving walls of crunching bass, caustic, throat-wrenching vocals and clanging and jarring guitars surrounds you. It’s more a disturbed beauty.

And the New York three-piece has crafted out one impressive debut record here, which flows exquisitely on from their previous EP, A Momentary Sense of the Immediate World. From the opening notes of A Thimble’s Worth, Flourishing de-rein a hail of poisonous riffs with a thick, heaving rumbling bass creating such a cacophonous air. The coarse barrage is something that is maintained with red-eyed vehemence throughout.

However, constantly during The Sum of All Fossils, there are rich, sleek guitar lines that skirmish with the jagged edges, crafting an impressive dichotomy in the album. All the while, vocalist and guitarist Garett Bussanick is still spewing forth his utterly caustic, bile soaked and sour vocals.

Third track By Which We’re Cemented kicks in with a massive avalanche of riffs before giving way to, this time, screechy vocals that complement the hazy, disturbed ambience. Whether it’s in guttural moments of brutality or the melodic moments, that murky ambience is always present, generating a fluid drift from start to end. Momentary Senses is another prime example of this duality in full effect, with a lush, almost-soothing midsection. Album closer, As If Bathed In Excellence similarly holds up of all Flourishing’s strengths for display.

Devotees of Gorguts’ Obscura will surely find affinity with The Sum of All Fossils, in its deep cerebral assault, while there is also a kin to the bombardments of Ulcerate and Gigan. One thing is certain, Flourishing have made a striking debut here, one that should resonate for some time.

Drop-d Rating: 8/10

Flourishing