3rd November 2025

Review: “Blistering Autolysis” by Flayed Disciple

Three years after “A Hell In Living Flesh” scalded the ear canals of everyone in a thirty mile radius of someone listening to it, Somerset England based Death Thrash lovers Flayed Disciple return for another round of unflinching brutality with “Blistering Autolysis“. Recorded at Muddy Road Studios in Somerset, using only vintage gear, no click tracks, and no editing, the band aim to have achieved a raw, live and authentic sound. Mastered by Neil Haynes (Bangover, Foul Body Autopsy, Twitch of the Death Nerve) at Parlour Studios, Kettering and adorned by artwork from drummer Phil Tolfree (ex-Burning Skies, ex-Priest Crippler), the record finds vocalist Merv Hembrough (Burning Skies, Level Threat, Priest Crippler), bassist Paul Williams alongside guitarist duo Thurston Howe and Jon Whitfield back at it again.

Blistering Death Thrash riffs fly in all directions as “Scraps For The Pigs” tears a hole in the space time continuum, the track bursting with energy like a small child who has been force fed a diet of off brand energy drinks and cigarettes of questionable origin. Howe drops a tasteful solo like a hand grenade into the mix while Tolfree gets creative behind the kit, adding to some of the groove laden rhythm guitars with a mix of gallops and blast beats that feel like shock and awe tactics from a band on the Eastern front. Make no mistake, as a band Flayed Disciple have done out what they set out to, capturing their live energy on a studio recording, Hembrough delivering plenty of bark and bite with his vocal performance. The rampage continues at break neck speed with “Banquet Of The Damned (A Tale Of Greed And Gastric Necrotizing Liquefaction)“, the bass rumbling underneath the razor sharp riffs and pummeling percussion. It might not be anything new but what Flayed Disciple do here is pay homage to their heroes while nailing their performances to perfection. They give themselves no place to hide as they come out all guns blazing but the end product not only sounds great but has instant appeal. Gang chants and a couple of Traditional Heavy Metal moments creep into this one but don’t distract from the overall punch square in the face of it. For those not in the know “Bleaching In The Sun” originally appeared on the bands 2012 album “Death Hammer” but has been re-recorded with their current line up which started life in 2022 for this record. As a live favorite, this is one that has been tweaked over the years and is actually twenty for seconds longer in this incarnation than the original. As you might expect given the title Hembrough roars his way through the lyric sheet in venomous fashion as Howe and Whitfield give us a nostalgia trip in timeless Death Thrash riffs at the tempo of the damned. Solos slice and dice before a false ending and glorious slow down in blood and thunder, the sounds of a drill accompanying the screams as an act of trephination plays out [8/10]

Track Listing