Flood Peak Buries The Misery of Self-Doubt In The "Urnfield" (Early Track Stream)

If the mechanics of human failure interest you, the Portland blackened sludge/post-metal group Flood Peak have created a multidimensional study in self-erosion: their new track “Urnfield,” off their upcoming Fixed Ritual EP, details the dilution of self in pursuit of companionship while its complex rhythmic and tonal structures disassemble themselves into excruciating building blocks — a painful, if effective, metaphor. We’re premiering it now:

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The tightly-wound main riff that kicks off “Urnfield” begins to unravel in short order, tearing at the seams and raging against its meter with off-kilter accentuations and rapid, sweeping drum fills. The coil snaps, and a slower, meaner motif takes its place. Even that falls apart before the song’s through, stripping things down to the bare elements of the message: discordant shrieks and plaintive, atonal chords desperately seeking resolution.

No such respite comes, of course, and in the context of the full EP, “Urnfield” is the hammer blow that shatters defenses so that the remaining tracks can lay waste to your tender innards. Flood Peak’s strength lies in their emotionally-connected heaviness that doesn’t latch on to any particular sound or pacing to deliver impact. These songs hurt (in the best way possible) because Flood Peak knows why they should, and they pass that knowledge onwards.

Guitarist/vocalist Peter Layman comments:

This was the first song that we wrote for this album, and to be honest, it came together seamlessly. It is about being devoted to someone so much that you willingly chip away at who you are and allow yourself to be sculpted into something that makes them feel more comfortable or satisfied, and less likely to abandon you than they would for continuing to be who you once were.

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The Fixed Ritual EP releases January 22, 2021 via Anima Recordings.

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