FLOOD: Polarized
One of the most highly anticipated albums of 2022 arrived this month, I speak of the debut album by FLOOD. Entitled “Polarized” it features 3 prior members from Tourniquet. Yes that Tourniquet, as if there were another.
Guy Ritter returns with a fantastic vocal performance throughout. Not so much the falsetto vocal of the first 2 Tourniquet albums but a smoky swirly gravely vocal that adds his own notch in the Flood sound. Erik Mendez also returns adding his own screaming guitar parts and songwriting skills to this fine release.
However one of the most amazing returns is Gary Lenaire (guitarist, songwriter and vocalist) who for many years had turned his back on his faith. That part of the story is for another time (However the lyrics to the title track Polarized seem to be quite autobiographical). This album however shows musically why he was so important to the classic albums of the 90s. The driving riffs, scorching guitar solos, not to mention his own vocal prowess. It’s simply powerful in this reviewers opinion.
As if this wasn’t enough, on drums is David Husvik the powerhouse from Norwegian metal giants Extol. An accomplished musician with several different metal bands and jazz projects. On bass guitar is Anna Sentina an accomplished musician and quite honestly an AMAZING bass player, heck watch her video covering Rush’s YYZ, wow!
Flood delivers an eleven track metal assault which is took me a couple of spins to penetrate. It is a release that requires more than 2-3 spins to truly appreciate and penetrate. Musically, Polarized is heavy, modern, intricate and complex. There are many nuances to every track that if you just crank it to ten you will miss. However if you just do that the record is quite enjoyable, but if you can put it on use some headphones (my DT 770pro’s work wonderfully) and listen, not just hear, you can pierce the veil and get under the hood so to speak.
Album opener “Design” is Lenaire’s new declaration of faith. He and Guy provide the vocals here and Gary declares “ I CAN SEE THE DESIGN!!” from there it’s off to the races with high octane riffages, tremendous drumming and scorching bass playing. However there are a lot of dynamics on this album, tracks like “Darfur” written by Lenaire and Mendez has an amazing guitar solo; actually several of them, at times atmospherically it reminds of a metallized Pink Floyd.
Technical metal is on display here without it being inaccessible. That is a rare ability for a band to create art which can be heard by all without sacrificing artistic integrity. There are three instrumentals on this release “The Four Seasons,” “In Remission,” and “The Order of Melchizedek.” Each of these take you on a journey that is quite intriguing, emotional and fulfilling.
“Biotech Babylon,” “War in the Sky” both deliver screaming metal goodness with the added bonus of being well constructed and arranged, with a strong melodic bent. That can be said of all the tracks on this album. “My Last Ride” is a mid tempo, haunting and almost disturbing bit of metal. As with all the lyrics on this album, well thought out and intelligent. Not random musings and hackneyed cliche’s.
Lyrically the band tackles Intelligent Design (“Design”), Genocide (“Darfur”), War (“Stop the Bleeding”), Personal Spiritual Journey (“Polarized”), Animal rights (“The Last Ride”), Biomedical human modification (“Biotech Babylon”). All thought through and well written which are quite deserving of your attention.
Polarized by Flood is fantastic record, clearly an early contender for album of the year in 2022. Give yourself the opportunity to delve into this release and allow it’s ominous metal goodness to engulf you while reminding you of why we are here.
An album that shouldn’t be missed.
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