We had absolutely no idea what to expect when we started in on The Ringing Bell from Fuming Mouth. We knew that Drummer Jay Weinberg (Suicidal Tendencies, Slipknot) was involved in the new record. We knew they were announced for this year’s Converge-curated Saddest Day Fest. We knew they were MA-based. And that’s all. Our first note when starting this thing was this: “Like Entombed fronted by a maniac?” So there’s that, too.
As for the unknowns from the above statement: So is Vocalist/Guitarist Mark Whelan a maniac? We don’t really know. But he sounds like one! Does FM sound like modern Entombed? Kind of! Especially with the guitar tones that Phelan and Pat Merson are laying down. And that’s where we’re at before really getting to the meat and potatoes of what is The Ringing Bell.
And now, the meat and potatoes!
“Cheat Death” is quite the opener with a barrage of those Entombed-like riffs and Weinberg’s now-signature percussive prowess all front and center while Bassist Chris Berg really comes out to play at the onset of “Self-Exhumed”. “Finally Fearless” is relentless with Weinberg’s drumming here reminding us of Dave Lombardo but looser and somehow gnarlier sounding overall as Whelan shrieks and screams. Next, “A Blaze Of Nihilism” begins with Whelan delivering some Death Metal growls surrounded by a blistering low end and fierce shreds and soloing until “After Oblivion” is all “Hold my beer!” with the level of ferocity and diversity presented across its’ beastly almost three minute runtime.
“Hidden in the Moor” hits midway through and it’s like a tonal shift for the rest of the record with this one in particular dropping a moody, nuanced Metal maelstrom followed by “Vivid Revelations” which continues that trend on a slow moving Doom-laden dirge. “Flourishing Flesh” is the wake-up call you didn’t know you needed on The Ringing Bell with the way it comes alive for barely a minute, drops some massive atmosphere and leads to a Punk meets Black Metal mini masterpiece. The title track is pretty epic sporting a nasty aura-filled opening section featuring clean vocals (Gasp!) before segueing into some nice hybrid Groove Metal and then laying it on thick with an anthemic chorus that echoes the beginning lines of the track.
“Barbarian Scourge” is gnarly through and through then gets creepier at the end with a breakdown lead-in that sounds straight out of Phantasm (Believe it or not, this is the second recent review where we’ve brought up that legendary Horror franchise) with “Respect Mortality” raging out one more time on a steadily slaying monolith that devolves into a bombast of gang vocals.
The Ringing Bell is out on July 17th through Triple B Records and you can find the version that suits you best over here or at the stream below. For more from Fuming Mouth, like all the latest on upcoming tour dates which include a a run with Weeping and Defeated Sanity in support of Revocation that stops by Palladium Upstairs on September 10th (Tickets available here!) and then later at Roadrunner in Boston on December 13th as part of the 2-day Converge-curated Saddest Day event (Advance tix for that one available here), hit the interwebs and the band socials located here and here.