In recent years Leicester, UK based multi-instrumentalist and composer, Richard Allsopp has been best known for his work with melodic, technical death metal band Monachopsis and perhaps as a guest live musician with the progressive rock, post-grunge outfit Final Coil. However, behind the scenes, as far back as 2011, Allsopp has had another project, a constant presence in his unfolding career. A completely solo venture, A Distorted Utopia is, as Allsopp describes it, his “own little corner of reality where I can just do whatever I want”. A cluster of demos, EPs and singles have emerged under the A Distorted Utopia banner over the years, most recently the 2023 release The Sickened Rain, and nestled amongst them a solitary full-length album, 2016s Sleepless Walks. But now Allsopp is ready to give A Distorted Utopia the platform it truly deserves, with a brand new album of staggering, unfettered musicality, a record where his skill and creativity can run wild without restraint or restriction – this is An Heir To All The Ills Of Flesh…
“It’s nice to have that little creative hollow that’s truly your own and for me that’s A Distorted Utopia. It’s also a space I feel like I can be truly honest with myself thematically and lyrically – and some of my lyrical content has got very dark and very personal over recent years.” – Richard Allsopp
An Heir To All The Ills Of Flesh begins with ‘Presence’, Allsopp’s ode to sci-fi horror…first a rising mist, laced with apprehension, then notes that dance up your spine, toying with your fear…and then you are sent spiralling into darkness as jolting, jarring riffs and unnerving, unpredictable changes of pace take hold. You are haunted, hunted and must follow close on Allsopp’s heels as he leads you on a wild chase through shadowed halls or be lost forever. From this leaping off point An Heir To All The Ills Of Flesh becomes ever darker, more challenging and more harrowing. With its atmospheric, melodic framework beneath bewildering guitar work, ‘The Great Adjustment’ confronts the immensity of the powers ranged against us all in this world we have allowed to become warped beyond recognition. Sharp, penetrating riffs rage against the mind consuming machine but the song ends in deep melancholy and loneliness. Each song that follows demands attention, thought, patience…this is not designed for casual listening. While it is an accepted truism that in the right hands a single note can convey a rare depth of emotion, it is equally true that with talent and vision a thousand notes can paint a star-studded sonic firmament and unlock untold possibilities. The title track of An Heir To All The Ills Of Flesh, Allsopp’s reflection on his past, present and future through the lens of personal mental health issues, is a revelatory piece – the solo at the song’s heart showing the emotion he is capable of instilling into his strangely beautiful, angular and complex compositions. It’s as impossible to encapsulate the myriad elements that comprise An Heir To All The Ills Of Flesh in a few words as it is to comprehend the album in a single listen. The fierce, jagged brutality and stunning technicality are there immediately, but with each listen the album changes – different elements rising to the surface. It is shocking, exhausting, emotionally shattering and utterly draining – like the modern world it confronts – but it is also dazzling, contemplative, thought provoking and deeply human, in the very best sense of the word.
Superbly mixed and mastered by Mikolaj at Thamnos Records (Corpseweed, Enchanted Sword etc), every one of the multitudinous elements of sound that make up the intricate tapestry of An Heir To All The Ills Of Flesh are there to be heard, discovered. Completed by the impressive artwork of Rotten at Cutting Edge Metal (Embryonic Autopsy, PitchBlack etc), Richard Allsopp’s expansive musical vision has been brought to vibrant, many-layered life. A Distorted Utopia has finally stepped from the shadows to the spotlight where it so richly deserves to be. Prepare for the unveiling of An Heir To All The Ills Of Flesh on October 23rd .
Line up:
Richard Allsopp – All music, instrumentation and lyrics
Genre: Progressive Technical Death Metal
For fans of: Septic Flesh | Obscura | Spawn Of Possession | Fleshgod Apocalypse
