Dying Wish have always been masters at blending raw brutality with emotional vulnerability, but their latest album, Flesh Stays Together, marks a significant evolution in their sound. Heavier, bolder, and surprisingly more atmospheric than their previous work, this record stretches the band’s boundaries while retaining the grit and intensity that made them stand out in the first place. Every drum hit, bass rumble, and vocal snarl cuts through with precision, thanks to production that emphasizes both the weight and clarity of each instrument.
The album opens with “I Don’t Belong Anywhere,” a slow-burning, distorted introduction that escalates into a face-smashing climax. It serves not only as an opener but as a statement: Dying Wish have expanded their scale. Emma Boster’s vicious fry vocals collide with towering, calculated chugs, and the devastating breakdown—punctuated by a simple but lethal mosh call—signals that this record will not hold back.
Contrast is key to the album’s power. “A Curse Upon Iron” alternates between snappy grooves and haunting clean passages that creep under the listener’s skin. The ghostly vocals paired with massive drum production demonstrate how seamlessly the band moves between brutality and atmosphere without losing impact. This duality continues across the record, from the slow-burn theatricality of “I’ll Know You’re Not Around”—where softer, Evanescence-like cleans explode into chaos—to “Revenge in Carnage,” a track that lunges straight for the throat with gnashing riffs and raw, unfiltered aggression.
The emotional depth of Flesh Stays Together is perhaps its most surprising element. “Nothing Like You” slows the pace into gloom and despair, relying on layered vocals and booming low-end to prove that heaviness isn’t just speed or breakdowns—it can also be atmosphere, restraint, and emotional weight. Similarly, “Moments I Regret” and “Heaven Departs” allow softer melodies to breathe before crashing into walls of sound, revealing a dynamic band unafraid to explore the full spectrum of their emotions.
Yet, the band never strays from their hardcore roots. “Surrender Everything” is pure teeth-gritting fury, propelled by blast beats and riffs sharp enough to cut through the listener. “Empty the Chamber” charges forward with relentless precision, the drums and guitars so perfectly locked that the track feels like a single weapon being fired. Even as Dying Wish experiment with moodier textures, they always return to this core ferocity, keeping the album grounded in aggressive metalcore.
The closer, “Flesh Stays Together,” serves as a haunting requiem rather than a typical finale. Reverb-soaked atmospheres and gothic influences lean heavily into sorrow and introspection, revealing the band at their most vulnerable. Yet, even here, the weight of the performance—thick rhythm sections and Emma’s emotional delivery—makes the track hit with a unique heaviness that lingers long after the last note fades.
What makes Flesh Stays Together so compelling is its embrace of contradiction. It’s grimy yet polished, industrial yet organic, sorrowful yet vicious. Emma’s voice embodies that duality, sliding seamlessly from ethereal cleans to rabid growls with unmatched conviction. Meanwhile, the rhythm section underpins the album with enormous, physical weight, giving the riffs and vocals a space to breathe and strike with maximum impact.
Ultimately, Flesh Stays Together isn’t just another Dying Wish album—it’s a statement of growth. The band has taken risks with slower builds, haunting atmospheres, and clean vocal passages, all while maintaining their signature aggression. The result is an album that feels bigger, hits harder, and cuts deeper than anything they’ve released before. It’s a collection of tracks that will devastate the pit while haunting listeners long afterward, solidifying Flesh Stays Together as Dying Wish’s most dynamic, emotionally punishing, and unforgettable record to date.
NOTABLE TRACKS:
I Don't Belong Anywhere
A Curse Upon Iron
Empty The Chamber