Photo by: Derek Bremner
Official press release:
Fleshwork is the latest release from Pupil Slicer, and it sees the mathcore trio emerging refreshed, reinvigorated, and ready to step things up several gears. The album will be released on November 7th through Prosthetic Records.
During the pandemic, Pupil Slicer offered up their debut album, Mirrors – a gnashing, feral affair that thrust them into the spotlight thanks to their discordant, angular DIY efforts. Sophomore album, Blossom, put more emphasis on songwriting and slicker production values as the Pupil Slicer show truly hit the road. Fleshwork deftly combines the best bits of their previous releases, retaining the hook-laden song structures yet refusing to compromise on the acerbic energy that lured eager fans in from the very beginning.
This iteration of Pupil Slicer ushers in new talent in the form of bass player, Luke Booth, whose contributions rounded out the writing process neatly. This rejuvenated lineup sought to retain the melodic elements of Blossom whilst simultaneously pushing their sonic boundaries to the extreme. The result is a more organic sound, energized by incandescent fury that embraces imperfections as a sign of life. Recording and mixing took place in early 2025 at Nø Studio in Manchester with producer Joe Clayton at the helm. Grant Berry handled mastering.
Describing Fleshwork as “conceptual” but specifically not a concept album, Pupil Slicer leans into creating an all-encompassing industrial hellscape; a perfect setting to explore the societal machinations that dehumanize and devalue the poor, disabled, queer, and people of color for political and financial gain. Drawing on personal experience, vocalist and guitarist Kate Davies details the disconnect and discomfort of navigating this life, and the substantial human, day-to-day cost of doing so.
Over the course of the nine songs unfolding, the imagery of the oppressive machinery falls away to leave behind only the personal, human elements. What starts as the smallest of sparks roars into a chthonic inferno, demonstrating the impact of and on one solitary human as the weight of subjection turns to ash. Fleshwork serves as a cathartic conduit for those who are “othered” by a society distinctly lacking in empathy, as Pupil Slicer champions their own brand of “trans inclusive radical hatred.”
Atop a solid rhythmic foundation courtesy of drummer Josh Andrews, Pupil Slicer has crafted a primal yet intricate display of aggression. Relentless industrial sounds give way to melody and earworm-worthy hooks that endure.
Whilst the band continues to draw influence from the likes of Nine Inch Nails and Oathbreaker, as well as lyrical and tonal inspiration from film, anime and video games (specifically Chainsaw Man, Mouthwashing and NieR among others), on Fleshwork they’ve created a monster entirely of their own design. This beast could only have been formed by the minds and bodies of those who have already walked the treacherous, dystopian path that they are now illuminating for others.
The band comments:
“Fleshwork is a deconstruction of what it means to be human, the penchant for personal and society-wide self-destruction and systemic cruelty that seems all but guaranteed to rear its head as long as humans exist. It’s more grounded and emotionally charged than previous work, with a stronger emphasis on the failings of our world to look after those who need it the most and our own ability to look after ourselves. How much pain can you inflict on yourself and others before you cease to be human? There is no limit; all of the worst things to happen to the human race have been caused by its own members. Fleshwork‘s new image of Pupil Slicer is one that’s frayed around the edges, incinerated and burned to the ground; a survivor in a wasteland of loss and decay.”
In advance of the record’s release, today Pupil Slicer issues its first single and title track “Fleshwork”, noting:
“‘Fleshwork’ as a track originally started as experimentation into more industrial and groove-oriented writing that we found really worked well in the practice space. Since road testing this song, we’ve found it hits like a brick wall live and really works in that setting so we believe it’s a great starting point for this new era. Lyrically, this song encompasses a lot of the themes of the album, dealing with manipulation, death, and total eradication of one’s own humanity to further a cause you don’t believe in and perpetuate a cycle of killing. The music video was directed by our good friend David Gregory who we are excited to be collaborating with again. The narrative in the video spans across all of the upcoming singles for this release, to tell a story that depicts the tonal and thematic elements of our album through a cinematic eye.”
Pre-order Fleshwork HERE.
This era of Pupil Slicer isn’t just a continuation: it’s a rupture, a scream from the margins, a refusal to be palatable, and it’s exactly what heavy music needs right now.
Fleshwork track listing:
- “Heather”
- “Gordian”
- “Sacrosanct”
- “Innocence”
- “Black Scrawl”
- “Nomad”
- “Fleshwork”
- “White Noise”
- “Cenote”
