Dedication to Flesh is perhaps the most heavy-hitting entry in Spite’s catalog. The album – the Northern Californian upstarts’ fourth overall – is a masterclass in modern metalcore electric guitar playing, with axemen Alex Tehrani and Lucas Garrigues offering serving after serving of dissonant drop-tuned chugs and laser-precise alternate picking riffs.
Though it has brief moments of respite, Dedication to Flesh is largely 40 minutes of sonic carnage, with highlights including the cacophonous Caved In, mid-tempo riff-driven rager Hangman and The Son of Dawn, which features some of the heaviest breakdowns of the year to date.
Another standout track – The Most Ugly – sits halfway through the record, clocking in at over five minutes and containing some of its most gut-punching 7-string guitar riffs. And in this exclusive Guitar World premiere, Tehrani and Garrigues play through the track in full.
Gear-wise, both guitarists play ESP EII T-B7 baritone seven-strings fitted with Fishman Fluence pickups – Tehrani through a 100W Marshall JVM guitar amp and Garrigues through an 50W EVH 5150III.
Tehrani's pedalboard features an ISP Decimator II noise gate, Maxon OD-808 overdrive and EarthQuaker Afterneath reverb, while Garrigues' is packed with a Maxon OD and a TC Electronics Sentry noise gate.
“Playing and recording the new songs with ESP guitars just made sense,” Tehrani says. “These baritone TB-7s did exactly what they were designed to do. They held their tuning and provided a sturdy, well-balanced piece of wood to dig into.
“In my opinion, this song showcases the progression of our guitar work, but still remains true to our original sound. We broke out of the small box we were comfortable writing in and transposed to different keys, creating a different mood.”
