For fans of SANCTION, JESUS PIECE, and NO CURE, Asheville’s hardcore landscape just got a lot more compelling. FLIORA (members of BASILICA), a band rooted in the relentless sounds of hardcore and metalcore but ambitiously straying beyond, joins us today to give you the full stream of their debut EP, Welcome the Blossom, dropping November 15 on Bitter Melody Records, marking the start of a new chapter for a band with both a history and a sound worth digging into.
FLIORA didn’t just emerge—they tested the waters under the alias LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS. This wasn’t a placeholder but a strategic choice to “live test” their music. “We set out with the goal to officially announce ourselves as a band with our first single, so playing under a different name was a way for us to live test our songs, which we think is an important part of the writing process,” FLIORA explains. After two years of refining, their official arrival promises a blend of philosophical reflection, societal critique, and raw energy.
Their seven-track EP is an unapologetic commentary on the human condition. FLIORA speaks to creating their hard hitting craft “without any bounds in terms of sound, style, or genre,” exploring a terrain that spans death metal, thrash, deathcore, and beyond.
Their influences include a no-nonsense lineup of heavy hitters like SANCTION, JESUS PIECE, and DEFEATED SANITY. If it’s heavy, it’s a potential muse for this band, yet they leave space for non-heavy influences to creep in when the mood calls for it.
The Asheville heavy music scene might be slim on “core” genres, but as FLIORA points out, the area thrives with bands like DARK HAND, SERRATE, HARSH REALM, and CAVE GRAVE. On the regional front, they give a shout to the likes of REVILER, YOUR SPIRIT DIES, and STOMPED OUT, a testament to the community they’re both part of and championing.
This EP isn’t the end of the line. FLIORA’s got plans: “Beyond this EP, we want to tour as much as possible,” they reveal, with four tracks already laid down for an upcoming full-length album. They’re out to carve their own path with raw, unfiltered intensity—an ethos that’s clear in both their sound and ambitions.
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With artwork by Adam Yates and a sharp press photo from Kevin La Chiana, Welcome the Blossom promises both visual and sonic depth. Dive into the full interview for insights into their formation, influences, and what’s next on the horizon. If Asheville wasn’t on the map for hardcore, FLIORA is here to change that—get ready to witness a debut that’s as intentional as it is intense.
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