FLIEGE - The Invisible Seam

From Brooklyn, New York, Fliege announces the January 31st release of its debut full-length album, The Invisible Seam.

Founded in 2016, Fliege began as an inside joke – a metal band based solely upon David Cronenberg's 1986 remake of The Fly. The duo of Coleman Bentley and Peter Rittweger wrote and recorded Fliege's self-titled demo for a laugh, but seeping through the absurdity was greatness. Decibel called the six, Jeff Goldblum-ridden songs, "infectious," and proclaimed: "Every once in a while, a band comes along, transgresses all genre boundaries, and cuts a demo that stands as a genuine demonstration of a singular sound."

Bentley and Rittweger's self-appointed tags, like "blackened hair metal," adequately described some of the early Fliege tracks, but there was more to the story, even from the start. On the demo, blackened screams and '80s metal riffage are propelled by industrialized drum programming, then laced with the kind of melancholy that points to post-hardcore roots. It is a collision of styles that might seem jumbled if it were not delivered so convincingly, and with such hooks.

With the upcoming The Invisible Seam, Fliege has graduated from The Fly to more serious cinema: Ingmar Bergman's existential 1957 masterpiece, The Seventh Seal. Bentley states: "Our demo tackled The Fly, but we soon realized we had to expand from that universe in order to have anything new to say. So for this one, we chose Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, the story of a Swedish knight returning home from the Crusades to find his homeland ravaged by the plague. He challenges Death to a game of chess, staving off his advances long enough to make it home one last time – questioning mortality, the meaning of life, and the existence of God, while trekking across a dying countryside. Within the framework of that film, we tackle the nihilism of modern life and the paradox of depression – not wanting to live but not actively wanting to die."

Musically, the album soars beyond its predecessor. The Invisible Seam sees the debut of third Fliege member Chris Palermo on synth. It also sees Bentley's clean vocals take a more central role. Every aspect has been turbo-boosted: the heavy is heavier; the heartfelt, more heartfelt; the grandeur, grander. In discussing the musical direction, Bentley references Immortal, Nine Inch Nails, Judas Priest, Cloud Rat, and John Carpenter, among others. The Invisible Seam is all that and more. An epic endeavor, in sound and in concept, it is an example of a band transcending its own beginnings to become something awesome.

Tracklist:
1) My Flesh is Afraid (But I Am Not)
2) Four Suns
3) A Confession
4) March of Whips
5) Love Plague
6) The Invisible Seam
7) Blood of the Earth
8) Die Raval
9) The Censer
10) A Light in the Black Pane

Lineup:
Coleman Bentley - guitars, clean vocals, drum programming, samples
Peter Rittweger - vocals
Chris Palermo - synths

Recorded by Coleman Bentley, Nikhil Kamineni and Gabriel Espinosa at various locations
Mixed by Gabriel Espinosa at WinterBeast, Portland, OR
Mastered by Brad Boatright at AudioSiege, Portland, OR
Cover art by Nathan Clark Bentley
Photos by Chris Palermo

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