PROJECT: FAILING FLESH – The Conjoined

What is going on here? What’s up with this title? Failing Flesh, The Conjoined … sounds like something weird and out of the ordinary. Perhaps they’ll end up archiving the catacombs of some ancient civilization that man has yet to come across. Or even stranger, while on the subject, explore some strange yet different type of music that has been out there, but still undiscovered.

Well, the band had its debut release back in 2003 with A Beautiful Sickness. What is strange is the fact that such an obscure band has been able to stay together with the same line-up since the original co-founders, a pair of Virginian Metalheads in Tim Gutierrez and Kevin 131, formed the band circa 2003. The only thing left to do was to find just the right vocalist that would fit well with the band. It just so happens that Eric Forrest (E-Force & Voivod) was the missing component.

Most existing feedback on their debut release proved overwhelmingly positive, which is something most bands covet, but few achieve. For all the fans of Project: Failing Flesh, your time has finally arrived for the follow-up. The new release, entitled The Conjoined, is now out. There are 11 tracks making up almost 40 minutes of listening time. Considering the name of the band and the title of the album, the song titles are fairly normal -– nothing that has any shock value to it. When listening to The Conjoined from start to finish, you’ll find solid and tight production between all members of the band.

It was Greece-based Burning Star Records who decided to sign them in 2006, and shortly thereafter The Conjoined was being written and finalized, ready for release the following year. The 11 tracks are powerful and full of changes throughout most tunes. What is weird about the band is their secrecy towards what instruments are being played by which band member — except for Eric Forrest, the vocalist, Kevin 131 and Tim Gutierrez are both secretive about what instruments they play individually. So, you have two musicians playing the guitar, bass, drums, piano, and keyboards, which are definite, but also included are horns, violin, and who knows what else.

The drummer blows you away with his non-stop double bass barrage and his overall energetic attack with the sticks. The guitar is adequately represented as is the bass… nothing too flashy, but effective. What is strange in listening to all eleven songs is the introduction of horns and violin during a few tracks. This doesn’t seem to go well with Metal no matter how hard you try to pull it off. Different, yes, but it just doesn’t sound that good in a Metal tune. This is really noticeable in the title track, “The Conjoined.” “Motionless” has a real good Metal-type opening to it, and fabulous drumming throughout. “Second Impact Syndrome” is another good-paced heavy track; one of the better tunes. “Final Act of Treachery” and “Regenerate” are both good Metal tunes with Eric really using his voice.

The drumming is just insane in the opener with the guitar filling in where it should be. The piano/keyboard part seems a bit out of place however. “Through the Broken Lens” and its repetitive beat in the early part of the track just doesn’t have what it takes. The song sounds like it was being dragged out at times. There is even a part that is mimicked from Alice In Chains. “Surface Noise” is another track where an oddity (this time a horn keeps popping up) somehow takes away from the Metal feeling of the tune. “Unsight Unseen” includes a piano along with a violin in the early part of the track. Not very Metalish at first until Eric and the boys kick it up a notch. Then, all hell breaks loose and it turns into a pretty killer tune. “Synensthesia” is a little different than the other tunes, but holds its own. The closer, “The Hand That You’ve Been Dealt,” has a pretty heavy beat that is addictive. The guitar work is a bit stronger at times than in previous tracks, and the bass is really cookin’ … a real good song overall.

If you’re a fan of P:FF, then this new release will not disappoint you one bit. Also, if you are in the market for something new and heavy that you haven’t heard before, give these guys a try.