Flayed Disciple is a British death metal/thrash metal band from Taunton, UK. Formed in 2008, they have had one full length album and three ep’s. Their debut album 'Death Hammer' was recorded in February 2012 at Foel Studio, Wales, with producer Chris Fielding. They are unsigned. In July, 2010, Flayed Disciple won Bloodstock Open Air's Metal 2 The Masses competition in Bournemouth. That won them a place on the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock Open Air Festival, in Derby. They were then invited back to Bloodstock Open Air to play on the bigger Sophie Lancaster stage in 2012. After playing at Bloodstock the first time round, the band started to gain momentum. They were booked onto a tour with Swedish death metal band Aeon and Earache Records - Cerebral Bore. That tour included a slot on the Neurotic Deathfest, Tilburg, the Netherlands. The band first met in 2008, and recorded the 'Drawn Viscera' EP in the summer of that year. The EP is now out of production and so considered rare as some of the tracks are not available online. The 2010 'Ejaculate While Killing' EP has been received in a positive way more often than not and Flayed Disciple have a presence in the major music magazines such as Metal Hammer, Terrorizer Magazine and Zero Tolerance. Many live reviews can be found on the internet. The full-length album 'Death Hammer' was released on 28 May 2012 by Irish label Grindscene Records. There are many reviews online and in print. Two music videos were recorded from 'Death Hammer', which are available on YouTube, and had airplay on MTV Greece as well as through the Metal Hammer and Terrorizer websites. A 12" vinyl was recorded in March 2014, and released independently on Flayed Disciple's own label - Bethlam Records. Flayed Disciple are still active as of 2018.
Musical style and reception
The music of Flayed Disciple is composed by every band member; the lyrics on 'Death Hammer' were written by Tolfree and Whyte. Their lyrical content has come up against some controversy in recent times, as the themes of serial killers, rape, murder, paedophilia and atheism feature in most songs. The musical style is heavily influenced by the early 80's thrash metal scene from the Bay Area of California. Bands such as Megadeth, Metallica and Slayer are the reason they started writing music. Recently, heavier bands such as Cannibal Corpse, Demolition Hammer, Napalm Death and Deicide have provided the influence they needed to go from a thrash band to a thrash/death crossover. It's worth noting that Flayed Disciple did not have a bass player for three years after former bassist Nathan Bartley left the band in 2009 to become a full-time hippie. The bass parts on the Ejaculate While Killing EP were recorded by Lead Guitarist Thurston Howe. They recruited Welsh bass player Paul Williams at the end of 2011, completing the line up ready to record their first album. The touring for 'Death Hammer' took the band as far as India, playing at an open-air festival alongside French band Gojira. They also toured across Europe with Vader in January 2013. Founding member Phil Tolfree left the band in 2013, citing personal reasons. A replacement was found in Rich Lewis, a long term friend of Paul Williams. Rich Lewis left in 2014 shortly after the release of their vinyl ep to pursue other musical interests. Guitarist Thurston Howe is endorsed by Waghorn Guitars of Bristol.
