Flourishing Music

The Sum Of All Fossils will be known as the album on which Flourishing established its identity, expanding upon the sound that started taking shape on its 2010 debut EP, A Momentary Sense of the Immediate World. Formerly pegged as a death-grind band, Flourishing reveals so much more on The Sum Of All Fossils — layers upon layers of tones, rhythms, and emotions that together create something never heard before.

Residing atop that foundation is the “metal.” Riffs churn and swirl, inspired firstly by the grindcore riffing of Napalm Death then brought into the more dissonant realm of bands like Immolation, propelled by Corcoran’s creative blasts and double bass. Bussanick’s vocals are mainly of the gut-wrenching, soulful variety, reminiscent at times of Obituary’s John Tardy (although his impassioned, open-throated singing voice is in fact just as heavy as his screams — play “By Which We’re Cemented” for glorious evidence of this.)

But Flourishing takes it even further still, introducing emotional shifts, often toward melody and brightness, that send the songs skyward, layering brilliant colors onto the grey. The Sum Of All Fossils contains many such moments — moments of such melodic power, they elevate the music into a timeless arena, untouchable by any genre tag.

As did the debut EP, The Sum Of All Fossils features lyrics that delve into perspectives on daily existence as well as broader questions about humankind’s place in the universe.

Hailing from New York City, Flourishing fits in loosely with the current scene of forward-thinking New York City metal bands that includes Krallice, Tombs, Castevet, and Pyrrhon. Flourishing guitarist/vocalist Garett Bussanick is also known as one of Wetnurse’s two guitarists. Engineer Ryan Jones is bassist in Wetnurse and Today Is The Day.

The Sum Of All Fossils was mastered by Alan Douches (Converge, Dillinger Escape Plan) at West West Side Music.