Flagg continues its path with a second album.
Created in 2018 in Finland by Flagg (guitar/bass/synthesizers, Annihilatus), then joined in 2019 by Tyrant (vocals, Kalmankantaja, Malum, Infernarium), the band releases a first album in 2020, then Cosmic Chaos Manifest in 2021.
The album begins with Invoking the Outer Dark, a worrying and quiet outro which gives birth to Cosmic Chaos Manifest, the eponymous song. The sound is straightforward, aggressive and above all very raw, creating some veil of effective blackness while feeding an obvious blackness, then Devil’s Blood offers us a fast-paced violence. Sharp harmonics meet a dark and oppressive ambience which unveils sharp melodies, while Circle of Stones offers an unhealthy dissonance. The song becomes sometimes heavier, then leads surface again, before Serpent’s Chamber unveils a haunting rhythmic. Raw sonorities borrowing from the style’s roots water us with dissonance and this Old School mix, then the sound drives us to Cross-Ravished Bastard, a raw but also melodic composition. Black Metal influences are obvious, but leads deliver interesting tones before unhealthy harmonics cease for Flame of Hate, a composition with Black/Punk roots. Harmonics spawn over an effective rhythmic anchored into Black Metal’s origins, then Plague Eternal unveils this hypnotic dissonance. The song sounds a lot like Old School Black Metal, just like The Fall Of Men and its cold roots, allowing abrasive parts express themselves by placing raw elements before To the Coldness Beyond comes to display us its dark roots. Burning melodies perfectly feed the song, which alternates between raw influences, soaring breaks and haunting ambiences before ending.
Flagg handles Black Metal in an interesting way. Whether you enjoy Black Metal or not, Cosmic Chaos Manifest knows to invoke raw influences, abrasive harmonics and intense rhythmics, creating a dark and weighing veil.
85/100