Fleshgod Apocalypse have announced their long-awaited sixth full-length album, Opera, which is scheduled to arrive on August 23rd via Nuclear Blast Records. Inspired by frontman Francesco Paoli’s 2021 mountain climbing accident, Opera is structured as a 10-act theatrical piece, blending Italian classical music traditions with their signature symphonic death metal sound. Mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen, the album features artwork by Felicita Fiorini and Francesco Esposito, inspired by baroque painters. To give a taste of what’s to come, the group unleashed a video for their latest, “Bloodclock,” which follows the song “Pendulum,” released earlier this year.
On the album, Francesco Paoli states:
“The best stories always come from pain, it’s a bitter truth yet undeniable. We managed to turn one of the worst things in life into a work of art, that embodies our personal and artistic growth and takes the listeners on a rollercoaster of emotions, where they can experience what I’ve been through hand in hand with me. It’s a waking nightmare but that’s how life is sometimes, just scary. In my visionary representation of this journey, that begins with my near death experience and culminates in a much desired physical and psychological rebirth, I wanted to frame every single step of my calvary, as if they were acts of an “Opera Lirica”, with dialogues or even confessions to imaginary characters, who have been constant presences throughout my whole (mis)adventure.”
On the new single, Paoli continues:
“What do we see right before we die? Well, with ‘Bloodclock’ I bear my witness and reveal the personal visions I had while hanging on a rope, unconscious, a few hundred meters above the ground. It’s insane how reality can be much more terrifying and soul crushing than imagination. Soon after my discharge from the hospital, me and Francesco Ferrini started writing immediately, even if I was still bedridden and unable to play. The idea was to capture the mood of those dramatic days and make sure to keep intact the sense of desperation and fear that was still running through my veins after the accident. Later on, we worked with the others to develop those ideas and create the music that such a strong story deserves, music that takes your breath away and tosses you into a vortex of mixed feelings and discomfort.
I believe we nailed it 110%. And the video is a spectacular representation of that disaster. I pushed Martina (McLean, video director) to the limit because I knew she could find a poetic, metaphorical yet extremely impactful way to match the fury of the song with awe-inspiring images. She did an amazing job and we’re proud to state that this is the best music video we’ve ever had in our career. But this song is not only about death, it’s also about life. ‘I’m not dead yet’ was some sort of mantra that became my battle-cry. The moment I woke up, I started my war to stay alive, that with time turned into a true and never-ending calvary as I’m still carrying the cross for what happened that day. But this is another story and its time is yet to come…”
Watch the clip below and pre-order the album here:
Track List:
01) Ode to Art (De’ Sepolcri)
02) I Can Never Die
03) Pendulum
04) Bloodclock
05) At War With My Soul
06) Morphine Waltz
07) Matricide 8.21
08) Per Aspera Ad Astra
09) Till Death Do Us Part
10) Opera
Feature Image Photo Credit: Francesco Esposito
