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{{Short description|German death metal band}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist  <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name                = Fleshcrawl
| image               =
| caption            = 
| image_size          = 
| alias               = 
| origin              = [[Illertissen]], Germany
| genre               = [[Death metal]]
| years_active        = 1987–present
| label               = 
| website             = {{url|fleshcrawl.net}}
| current_members     = Borisz Sarafutgyinov<br />Christian Kalbrecht<br />Apu Justin Reisch<br />Manuel Markowski<br />Bastian Herzog
| past_members        = Wendelin Dopfer<br />Alfred Handke<br />Gero Schmitt<br />Alex Pretzer<br />Markus Amann<br />Stefan Hanus<br />Sven Gross<br />Tobias Schick<br />Nico Scheffler<br />Mike Hanus<br />Slobodan Stupar<br />Oliver Grbavac
}}

'''Fleshcrawl''' is a German [[death metal]] band formed in [[Illertissen]], [[Bavaria]], in 1987. Their most recent album, ''Into the Catacombs of Flesh'', was released in 2019 under Apostasy Records.

== History ==

=== 1987–1997 ===
Fleshcrawl was formed by Stefan Hanus and Bastian Herzog in 1987 under the name Morgöth. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metallian.com/fleshcrawl.php |title=Fleshcrawl history |publisher=metallian |date=27 June 2021 |access-date=18 April 2024}}</ref> In 1990, after original lead vocalist Wendelin Dopfer left the band, Alex Pretzer was signed on, the band changed their name to Suffocation, and released a demo tape called ''Festering Flesh''. After the release of their demo tape, the band was forced to change their name because the American band, [[Suffocation (band)|Suffocation]], had released their first vinyl cut earlier. The band was officially renamed to Fleshcrawl and then released their first 7-inch EP ''Lost in a Grave'' in 1991 through Morbid Records. One of the first shows under the new name took place in their hometown in October 1991. It was a legendary underground concert together with the German bands Dead and R.U.Dead? and [[Demigod (band)|Demigod]] from [[Finland]].<ref>Andreas Hertkorn: ''Demigod & Fleshcrawl & R.U.Dead? & Dead im Jugendhaus Flop, Illertissen, 5 October 1991'' (in German). In: ''Todessehnsucht – Als der Death Metal nach Deutschland kam'', Seven Metal Inches, Berlin 2020, page 274.</ref>

In 1992, Fleshcrawl signed a recording contract with [[Black Mark Production]], and in June 1992, they recorded their debut studio album, ''Descend into the Absurd'', at Montezuma Studios, [[Stockholm]]. Shortly after the release of ''Descend into the Absurd'', Mike Hanus, brother to founding member Stefan Hanus, replaced Gero Schmitt as one of the guitarists, and in 1993, they began recording their second studio album, ''[[Impurity (Fleshcrawl album)|Impurity]]'', at [[Dan Swanö]]'s Unisound Studio.

In 1995, Markus Amann left the band and Mike Hanus took over as the bassist for studio sessions. In December 1995, Fleshcrawl recorded their third studio album, ''[[Bloodsoul]]'', which was released in 1996. Shortly after the release of ''Bloodsoul'', Fleshcrawl began recording their fourth studio album, ''[[Bloodred Massacre]]'', which was released in 1997 with Sven Gross replacing Alex Pretzer as the lead vocalist. Both albums were recorded at Abyss Studios by [[Peter Tägtgren]] of [[Hypocrisy (band)|Hypocrisy]].

=== 1998–present ===
{{clear}}[[File:Fleshcrawl - as blood rains.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|<span style="font-size:100%;">The cover of ''[[As Blood Rains from the Sky... We Walk the Path of Endless Fire|As Blood Rains from the Sky]]'' is artist Uwe Jarling's depiction of the band as corpses. It is the foundation of their shift into [[Melodic death metal]], and archetypal of their present sound</span>]]
In 1998, Tobias Schick took over as the new bassist, allowing Mike Hanus to return to playing guitar exclusively. After the release of ''Bloodred Massacre'', Fleshcrawl left Black Mark Production and joined a monthlong tour with [[Kataklysm]] and [[Vader (band)|Vader]], as well as participating in festivals with [[Cannibal Corpse]] and [[Dark Funeral]]. After returning from their tour, Fleshcrawl signed a recording contract with [[Metal Blade Records]], and in January 2000, they released their fifth studio album, ''[[As Blood Rains from the Sky... We Walk the Path of Endless Fire]]'', which was produced at [[Studio Fredman]] in [[Gothenburg]], Sweden. In June 2000 the band went out to tour Europe again, this time 25 performances with Vader and [[Vital Remains]] had been scheduled. Individual shows and various festival appearances followed (among others at the Czech Dynamo Festival and the [[Summer Breeze Open Air]] in Bavaria, Germany).

In September 2001, Fleshcrawl began recording their sixth studio album, ''[[Soulskinner]]'' at Studio Underground in [[Västeras]], Sweden. Soulskinner was introduced live on a four-week tour with [[Bolt Thrower]] and [[Benediction (band)|Benediction]] in January 2002.<ref>Frank Albrecht: ''Bolt Thrower, Benediction, Fleshcrawl und Disbelief – Im Tiefkühl-Bus durch den wilden Osten'' (in German). In: ''Rock Hard'', No. 178, March 2002, page 62.</ref> In spring 2002, Stefan Hanus left the band for personal reasons.<ref>[http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/threads/fleshcrawl-guitarist-stefan-hanus-leaves-band.25370/ Ultimate Metal – ''Stefan Hanus leaves the band'']</ref> He was replaced by Oliver Grbavac and the band played at [[Wacken Open Air]]. In November 2002, Fleshcrawl played their first tour in Japan in support of [[Hypocrisy (band)|Hypocrisy]].

During 2003, the band played few live shows in order to focus on writing their seventh studio album. In November 2003, Fleshcrawl again entered Studio Underground in Sweden to record their seventh studio album, ''[[Made of Flesh]]'', which was musically similar to ''Soulskinner''. ''Made Of Flesh'' was released on 23 February 2004 in Europe and Japan and on 9 March 2004 in the United States, and following its release the band played a few shows, including the Summer Breeze Open Air and the Party.San Metal Open Air in [[Thuringia]], Germany. The band also supported ''Made of Flesh'' by touring with [[Six Feet Under (band)|Six Feet Under]] and [[Criminal (band)|Criminal]] in Europe in February/March 2004.

In 2005, Fleshcrawl released a compilation album, ''Crawling in Flesh – The Best of Fleshcrawl'', which featured fifteen tracks from their first 4 full-length albums.

In early 2007, Nico Scheffler replaced Tobias Schick as the band's bassist and the band began to work on their eighth studio album, ''[[Structures of Death]]''. It was released in Europe on 24 September 2007.<ref>[https://blabbermouth.net/news/fleshcrawl-has-a-new-bassist/ Blabbermouth – ''Fleshcrawl has a new bassist'' – Apr. 22, 2007]</ref> Following the album's release, Fleshcrawl played a few shows around central Europe with bands such as [[Carnal Forge]], [[Dismember (band)|Dismember]], [[Enslaved (band)|Enslaved]], and [[Jungle Rot]], and also played several metal festivals.<ref>[https://www.metalblade.com/us/artists/fleshcrawl/ Official website of Metal Blade Records – ''Fleshcrawl'']</ref>

In 2011, bassist Nico Scheffler left Fleshcrawl, but was quickly replaced by Manuel Markowski. The group did not release new music between 2008 and 2015. This was due to various private problems of the musicians and a longer stay abroad by drummer Bastian Herzog.<ref>Patrick Schmidt: ''Fleshcrawl – Ein langer Karriereknick'' (in German). In: ''Rock Hard'', No. 391, December 2019, page 23.</ref> Nevertheless, the band played several individual and festival shows during this time. Just to mention a few notable ones: The SWR Barroselas in Portugal (2008), the German Protzen Open Air, Summer Breeze and Queens of Metal in the same year, Chronical Moshers (2010), Way of Darkness (2011), Stromgitarrenfest III (2012), [[Rock Hard Festival]] and [[Bang Your Head!!!|Bang Your Head]] (both in 2013), Baden in Blut (2014) and the Faces of Death in [[Moscow]], Russia (2014). Fleshcrawl also performed a headliner show in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in March 2012.<ref>Stefan Hanus: ''Fleshcrawl & Billy Bob's Blood Drenched Brew & Fist In Your Face & Who Will Guard The Guardians, 16 March 2012 – Dubai, Vereinigte Arabische Emirate – Rock City Club'' (in German). In: ''Heavy'', No. 140, May/June 2012, page 78.</ref> At the end of 2015, Fleshcrawl and Skinned Alive produced a split CD which included four new songs by the musicians and was initially released by Brutal Art Records, later, in the course of the year 2016, by FDA Rekotz.

In January 2016, the band performed on their first ever Asian tour. They played eight shows in seven different countries – the United Arab Emirates, Nepal, Thailand, Taiwan, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. In the course of this, the band was the headliner at the Nepal Deathfest in [[Kathmandu]] and co-headliner at a [[The Exploited]] show in Singapore. Later in 2016, the band released ''Festering Thoughts from a Grave'' – a CD re-release of their two demos and the ''Lost in a Grave'' EP (Raw Skull Recordz).

In 2017 and 2018, the group played concerts and festivals, including appearances at the Schoonebeek Deathfest in the Netherlands (2017), [[Obscene Extreme]] in the Czech Republic (2018), Helsinki Deathfest in Finland and Way of Darkness in Germany (both also in 2018). In October 2018, the band split from their longtime guitarist Mike Hanus, who was replaced by Slobodan Stupar. In December, Fleshcrawl performed at the Eindhoven Metal Meeting. In 2019, further individual and festival shows in Central Europe and the UK followed. In May 2019, the group entered North American territory for the very first time to perform at the renowned [[Maryland Deathfest]] in [[Baltimore]], US.

Back in Germany, Fleshcrawl completed their work on the long-awaited follow-up to ''Structures of Death''. ''Into the Catacombs of Flesh'' was released by Apostasy Records on 29 November 2019. But already in March 2020 the personnel carousel turned again: Guitarist Slobodan Stupar found his successor in Christian Kalbrecht. Another change of personnel occurred after an almost concertless year (due to [[COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19]]) in December 2020. Fleshcrawl separated from guitarist Oliver Grbavac and got Apu Justin Reisch on board instead.<ref>[https://www.fleshcrawl.net/ Official website of Fleshcrawl – ''Biography'']</ref>

On 11 June 2021, vocalist Sven Gross died from cancer at the age of 44.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theprp.com/2021/06/14/news/fleshcrawl-vocalist-sven-svenson-gross-has-passed-away/|title=Fleshcrawl Vocalist Sven "Svenson" Gross Has Passed Away|publisher=ThePRP|access-date=15 June 2021|date=14 June 2021}}</ref> Later in the year, Russian-born vocalist Borisz Sarafutgyinov performed with the band at the Obscene Extreme festival in the Czech Republic. On 15 October, Fleshcrawl officially announced Sarafutgyinov as the official new vocalist of the band.<ref>[https://www.metal-hammer.de/fleshcrawl-kuendigen-neuen-saenger-an-1873451/ Metal Hammer – ''Fleshcrawl kündigen neuen Sänger an'' (in German)]</ref>

== Musical style ==
Fleshcrawl, although their overall style has evolved over the years, remains quite similar- and often compared to such [[Scandinavian death metal|Scandinavian]]/[[melodic death metal]] bands as [[Grave (band)|Grave]] and [[Dismember (band)|Dismember]]. Like these bands, Fleshcrawl creates a familiar, mid-range guitar tone with rapid tempos and short guitar solos consisting of fast, nimble alto-range progressions. However, the band's drumwork since the mid-to-late 1990s, composed mainly of high-speed, rolling double-[[bass drums]] and [[blast beats]] is comparable to that of many brutal death metal bands, such as [[Nile (band)|Nile]] and [[Skinless]], but at the same time, is down-tuned enough to not lose its kinship with the melodic death metal genre.

Occasionally, they incorporate organs and other instruments, such as trumpets and kettle drums into their music, particularly in their [[instrumental]] intros and interludes.

Fleshcrawl's lyrical themes are generally characteristic of typical death metal, and encompass such concepts as [[insanity]], [[horror (emotion)|horror]], [[Eschatology|doomsday]], [[war]], [[murder]], [[misanthropy]], [[genocide]], [[graphic violence|gore]], [[slavery]], and [[sacrifice]], among other lyrical concepts familiar to death metal.

== Members ==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-3}}

=== Current members ===
* Bastian Herzog – [[drum kit|drums]], [[backing vocals]] (1987–present)
* Manuel Markowski – [[bass guitar]] (2011–present)
* Christian Kalbrecht – [[electric guitar|guitar]] (2020–present)
* Apu Justin Reisch – [[electric guitar|guitar]] (2020–present)
* Borisz Sarafutgyinov – [[Death growl|vocals]] (2021–present)

{{col-3}}

=== Former members ===
* Stefan Hanus – guitar (1987–2002)
* Markus Amann – bass guitar (1987–1995)
* Alfred Handke – guitar (1987–1991)
* Wendelin Dopfer – vocals (1987–1990)
* Alex Pretzer – vocals (1990–1996)
* Gero Schmitt – guitar (1991–1992)
* Mike Hanus – guitar (1992–2018); bass guitar (1995–1997)
* Sven Gross – vocals (1996–2021) (died 2021)
* Tobias Schick – bass guitar (1998–2005)
* Oliver Grbavac – guitar (2002–2020)<ref>[https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Fleshcrawl/847 Encyclopaedia Metallum – Fleshcrawl – ''members'']</ref>
* Nico Scheffler – bass guitar (2007–2011)
* Slobodan Stupar – guitar (2018–2020)
{{col-end}}

=== Timeline ===
{{#tag:timeline|
ImageSize = width:850 height:auto barincrement:18
PlotArea = left:105 bottom:60 top:0 right:15
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat  = mm/dd/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/1987 till:{{#time:m/d/Y}}
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom
ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:1987
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1987

Colors=
 id:vocals   value:red        legend:Lead_vocals
 id:guitar    value:green     legend:Guitars
 id:bass     value:blue       legend:Bass
 id:drums    value:orange     legend:Drums,_backing_vocals
 id:studio   value:black      legend:Studio_album
 id:other     value:gray(0.5)  legend:Other_release
 id:bars      value:gray(0.95)

LineData=
 at:05/01/1990 color:other layer:back
 at:03/01/1991 color:other layer:back
 at:10/01/1991 color:other layer:back
 at:06/08/1992 color:black layer:back
 at:05/01/1993 color:other layer:back
 at:05/31/1994 color:black layer:back
 at:06/04/1996 color:black layer:back
 at:10/21/1997 color:black layer:back
 at:04/10/2000 color:black layer:back
 at:01/14/2002 color:black layer:back
 at:03/08/2004 color:black layer:back
 at:09/17/2007 color:black layer:back
 at:01/16/2016 color:other layer:back
 at:10/21/2016 color:other layer:back
 at:11/29/2019 color:black layer:back

BackgroundColors= bars:bars

BarData=
 bar:Wendelin  text:"Wendelin Dopfer"
 bar:Alex      text:"Alex Pretzer"
 bar:Sven      text:"Sven Gross"
 bar:Borisz    text:"Borisz Sarafutgyinov"
 bar:Alfred    text:"Alfred Handke"
 bar:Gero      text:"Gero Schmitt"
 bar:Mike      text:"Mike Hanus"
 bar:Slobodan  text:"Slobodan Stupar"
 bar:Christian text:"Christian Kalbrecht"
 bar:Stefan    text:"Stefan Hanus"
 bar:Oliver    text:"Oliver Grbavac"
 bar:Apu       text:"Apu Justin Reisch"
 bar:Markus    text:"Markus Amann"
 bar:Tobias    text:"Tobias Schick"
 bar:Nico      text:"Nico Scheffler"
 bar:Manuel    text:"Manuel Markowski"
 bar:Bastian   text:"Bastian Herzog"

PlotData =
 width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(11,-4)
 bar:Wendelin from:start till:10/01/1990 color:vocals
 bar:Alex    from:10/01/1990 till:10/01/1996  color:vocals
 bar:Sven    from:10/01/1996 till:06/11/2021  color:vocals
 bar:Borisz  from:10/15/2021 till:end  color:vocals
 bar:Mike    from:06/01/1995 till:12/31/1997  color:bass width:3
 bar:Alfred  from:start till:12/01/1991  color:guitar
 bar:Gero    from:12/01/1991 till:10/01/1992  color:guitar
 bar:Mike    from:10/01/1992 till:10/07/2018  color:guitar
 bar:Slobodan from:11/09/2018 till:03/03/2020 color:guitar
 bar:Christian from:03/03/2020 till:end color:guitar
 bar:Stefan  from:start till:06/01/2002  color:guitar
 bar:Oliver   from:06/01/2002 till:12/06/2020  color:guitar
 bar:Apu   from:12/25/2020 till:end  color:guitar
 bar:Markus from:start till:06/01/1995 color:bass
 bar:Tobias  from:01/01/1998 till:02/01/2005 color:bass
 bar:Nico     from:03/01/2007 till:03/01/2011 color:bass
 bar:Manuel from:03/01/2011 till:end  color:bass
 bar:Bastian from:start till:end  color:drums
}}

== Discography ==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

<ref>[https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Fleshcrawl/847 Encyclopaedia Metallum – Fleshcrawl – ''Discography'']</ref><ref>[https://www.fleshcrawl.net/ Official website of Fleshcrawl – ''Releases'']</ref>

=== Studio albums ===

{| class="wikitable" width="420"
!align="center"|Album information
|-
|align="left"|'''''[[Descend into the Absurd]]'''''
*Released: 23 November 1992 <small>(Germany)</small>
*Label: [[Black Mark Production|Black Mark]]
|-
|align="left"|'''''[[Impurity (Fleshcrawl album)|Impurity]]'''''
*Released: 31 May 1994 <small>(Germany)</small>
*Label: Black Mark
|-
|align="left"|'''''[[Bloodsoul]]'''''
*Released: 4 June 1996 <small>(Germany)</small>
*Label: Black Mark
|-
|align="left"|'''''[[Bloodred Massacre]]'''''
*Released: 13 October 1997 <small>(Germany)</small>
*Label: Black Mark
|-
|align="left"|'''''[[As Blood Rains from the Sky... We Walk the Path of Endless Fire]]'''''
*Released: 11 April 2000 <small>(Germany)</small>
*Label: [[Metal Blade Records|Metal Blade]]
|-
|align="left"|'''''[[Soulskinner]]'''''
*Released: 15 January 2002 <small>(Germany)</small>
*Label: Metal Blade
|-
|align="left"|'''''[[Made of Flesh]]'''''
*Released: 9 March 2004 <small>(Germany)</small>
*Label: Metal Blade
|-
|align="left"|'''''[[Structures of Death]]'''''
*Released: 21 September 2007 <small>(Germany)</small>
*Label: Metal Blade
|-
|align="left"|'''''Into the Catacombs of Flesh'''''
*Released: 29 November 2019 <small>(Germany)</small>
*Label: Apostasy Records
|-
|}
{{col-2}}

=== EPs ===
{| class="wikitable" width="420"
!align="center"|Album information
|-
|align="left"|'''''Lost in a Grave'''''
*Released: 1991 <small>(Germany)</small>
*Label: Morbid Records
|-
|}

=== Split CDs ===
{| class="wikitable" width="420"
!align="center"|Album information
|-
|align="left"|'''''Tales of Flesh and Skin'''''
*Released: 16 January 2016 <small>(Germany)</small>
*Label: Brutal Art Records; FDA Rekotz <small>(later)</small>
|-
|}

=== Compilations ===
{| class="wikitable" width="420"
!align="center"|Album information
|-
|align="left"|'''''Crawling in Flesh'''''
*Released: 22 March 2006 <small>(Germany)</small>
*Label: [[Black Mark Production|Black Mark]]
|-
|align="left"|'''''Festering Thoughts from a Grave'''''
*Released: 21 October 2016 <small>(Germany)</small>
*Label: Raw Skull Recordz
|-
|}
{{col-end}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website|https://www.fleshcrawl.net/}}
* {{Discogs artist}}

{{Fleshcrawl}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:German melodic death metal musical groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1987]]
[[Category:German musical quintets]]
[[Category:Metal Blade Records artists]]