Magnificent debut for this Portland-based trio, capable of taking their post metal sludge to surprising heights. Flood Peak don’t define new roads for the genre, but they offer a heartbreaking interpretation of it as rarely heard: more painful than many funeral doom records, more lacerating than most of dsbm ones, Plagued By Sufferers is a monument to suffering, which is made explicit both through the spasmodic vocals of Peter, and in the more liquid moments that often prelude to melodic flashes that can’t leave you indifferent. As said, there is nothing that makes Flood Peak different from the leading bands of the sector (Amenra in primis) thanks to an intensity and urgency that prevents the sound from appearing forced. In the most furious moments, and especially in the splendid Mire, the Oregon trio reminds of the German precursors Disbelief, especially those of the masterpiece Worst Enemy, but the added value that is introduced is a subtle melodic thread that helps to keep the listener’s attention high without the tension decreasing in the least. If anyone thinks that the half-hour of the record is a poor duration they are wrong, because it is hard to resist longer such a dark and excruciating musical expression: Plagued By Sufferers rightfully stands as one of the absolute best debuts of 2018.

2018 – Independent