experimental rock
Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, wit ...
band from
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro is a city in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 165,430 according to the 2023 census estimate, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010 United States census, 2010. Murfreesboro i ...
. The band has changed their sound numerous times, ranging from the
progressive metal
Progressive metal (often shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven sound of the former with t ...
,
psychedelic
Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...
, and
stoner metal
Stoner rock, also known as stoner metal or stoner doom, is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of doom metal with psychedelic rock and acid rock. The genre emerged during the early 1990s and was pioneered foremost by Kyuss and Slee ...
styles of their earlier days to
avant-garde
In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...
,
extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...
art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an ar ...
styles later implemented in their career. Along with genre swapping and unconventional song structures in their music, the band is also known for their theatrical live shows that incorporate comedic skits,
musical improvisation
Musical improvisation (also known as musical extemporization) is the creative activity of immediate ("in the moment") musical composition, which combines performance with communication of Emotion, emotions and Musical technique, instrumental techn ...
,
performance art
Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...
, and
audience participation
An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature (in which they are called "readers"), theatre, music (in which they are called "listeners"), video games (in which they are called "players"), or ...
. They have commonly been associated with the
queercore
Queercore (or homocore) is a cultural/social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of the punk subculture and a music genre that comes from punk rock. It is distinguished by its discontent with society in general, and specifically ...
movement since the release of their song, "Trans Girls Need Guns."
The band has undergone numerous line-up changes since their formation in 2012. As of 2024, the line-up consists of Alyson Blake Dellinger, Alan Pfeifer, Chase McCutcheon, Jesse Peck, and Max Mobarry.
History
Early years (2012-2016)
After having played in multiple bands together throughout their teens, Alyson Dellinger and Drew Jones formed the band after graduating high school in the summer of 2012. They chose the name "Flummox" after sifting through several
Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel ( ;"Seuss" '' If I Ran the Circus''. Finding the English definition of the word "flummox" relevant to their sound as well, they decided it would be a good name for their band. Along with local drummer Matt Rose, they recorded their first
extended play
An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
''The Mindrape.P.'' in August of that year. Catching the ear of Minnesota-based independent record label Tridroid Records, they struck a deal and released their first two records, ''Phlummoxygen'' (2014) and ''Selcouth'' (2016). During this period, Dellinger and Jones played live shows throughout the southern United States with a few different drummers, primarily operating as a trio with drummer Jody Lester, from 2014 to 2016.
''Intellectual Hooliganism,'' signing to Needlejuice (2017-2019)
By the beginning of 2017, Flummox had restructured itself as a quartet, with the addition of drummer Alan Pfeifer and guitarist Justin Smith. This line-up would record and release a demo entitled ''Garage Prog'' containing four of the songs they wrote for what would become their next record. They would follow this up with their first music video for the song "Tom Walker Blues". The band began touring regionally up and down the south-eastern United States, occasionally opening for bigger acts such as
Eyehategod
Eyehategod (also abbreviated and referred to as EHG) is an American sludge metal band from New Orleans, Louisiana, who formed in 1988. They have become one of the better known bands to emerge from the NOLA metal scene. Their core lineup has r ...
and
Chuck Mosley
Charles Henry Mosley III (December 26, 1959 – November 9, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist for the rock band Faith No More from 1984 to 1988. He contributed to the band's early sound, combi ...
. Expanding upon their sound and stage show, the band brought local musician and
haunt
Haunt is a synonym for ghost.
Haunt may also refer to:
__NOTOC__ Film
* ''Haunt'' (2013 film), an American supernatural horror film
* ''Haunt'' (2019 film), an American slasher film
Music
* Haunt (band), a heavy metal band from Fresno, Califor ...
actress Parker Lampley into the line-up to perform flute, keyboards, vocals, as well as
contortion
Contortion (sometimes contortionism) is a performance art in which performers called contortionists showcase their skills of extreme physical flexibility. Contortion acts often accompany acrobatics, Circus (performing art), circus acts, street ...
.
In late 2017, the band began recording their third record, ''Intellectual Hooliganism.'' Following the mid-recording departure of Justin Smith, the band recruited guitarist Chase McCutcheon, and the album was released on September 7, 2018, through a local production label, Wood & Stone Productions. This small independent release later caught the attention of
Needlejuice Records
Needlejuice Records is an independent record label founded in September 2017 and operated by Austin Aeschliman, Jace McLain, and Brandon Brown. The label's first release, issued in 2017, was the album '' Polygondwanaland'' by King Gizzard & the L ...
, who signed the band the following year and subsequently re-released ''Hooliganism'' on a double vinyl LP and cassette.
''Sabbat Worship and In Hindsight'' EPs'', Rephlummoxed'' (2020-2023)
After Parker Lampley took leave of the band, Flummox recruited former Edge of Reality keyboardist and
multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments, often but not exclusively at a professional level of proficiency.
Also known as woodwind doubler, doubling, the practice allows greater ensemble flexibility and mor ...
Jesse Peck. In January 2020, this iteration of the band recorded what would become their ''In Hindsight'' EP. The following month on February 13, 2020, the band released ''Sabbat Worship'' on Needlejuice'';'' an EP featuring three bonus tracks from the ''Hooliganism'' sessions. This extended play consisted of an original song and two cover songs (originally by
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...
and Black Widow), with the cover art being a parody of the first Black Sabbath album - released exactly 50 years prior. A small east coast tour was booked to support its release, but was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. During that summer, they recorded a cover for ''
Nashville Scene
''Nashville Scene'' is an alternative newsweekly in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1989, became a part of Village Voice Media in 1999, and later joined the ranks of sixteen other publications after a merger of Village Voice Media with ...
s "Nashville Song Swap" as well as dropping the first single from their then-forthcoming ''Hindsight'' EP, "Trans Girls Need Guns." Originally appearing on the label's ''Needlejustice'' charity compilation to raise money for the NAACP defense fund in midst of the then-recent
George Floyd protests
The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as Reactions to the mu ...
, the band made it widely available for streaming on the 51st anniversary of the
Stonewall riots
The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, Stonewall revolution, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous riots and demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of ...
. On October 16, 2020, Needlejuice released the second EP, ''In Hindsight'', to general critical acclaim. They followed this release with a live-streamed performance of the entire EP that premiered during Fable Cry's Festival of Ghouls on
twitch
Twitch may refer to:
Biology
* Muscle contraction
** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation
** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction
** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle c ...
that
Halloween
Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...
; the following day it was released on their
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel.
While under
quarantine
A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals, and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have bee ...
, the band decided to continue work on their next venture: a full-length album of re-recorded and rearranged material from their Tridroid releases, entitled ''Rephlummoxed''. Alyson Dellinger and Drew Jones had not been happy with the production of these previous records, so the decision was made to record re-arranged versions of their favorite songs from that era. While finishing the album, Others by No One vocalist and guitarist Max Mobarry joined the band after filling in last minute for Chase McCutcheon after he had fractured his wrist before a show. On April 1, 2022, ''Rephlummoxed'' was released on Needlejuice. In support of the album, the band released a lyric video for the first single "Planet Cancer," two animated music videos for the songs "Flummoxing Act 1: Garbonzo's Leap" and "Hummingbird Anthem," and toured multiple times within the United States well into 2023. Throughout some of these shows, Flummox supported bands such as
Imperial Triumphant
Imperial Triumphant is an American experimental metal band formed in 2005 in New York City.
History
Imperial Triumphant was formed in 2005 by Zachary Ezrin in New York City. Their first album, ''Abominamentvm'', was released in 2012. Imperia ...
Daikaiju
is a Japanese term that is commonly associated with media involving giant monsters. Its widespread contemporary use is credited to ''tokusatsu'' (special effects) director Eiji Tsuburaya and filmmaker Ishirō Honda, who popularized the ''kaiju'' ...
Pentagram
A pentagram (sometimes known as a pentalpha, pentangle, or star pentagon) is a regular five-pointed star polygon, formed from the diagonal line segments of a convex (or simple, or non-self-intersecting) regular pentagon. Drawing a circle around ...
, and
The Obsessed
The Obsessed is an American doom metal band from Potomac, Maryland, led by Scott "Wino" Weinrich. Formed in 1979, they recorded a few demos and played a handful of live shows until they first split up in 1986 when Weinrich joined as lead vo ...
. During this time, Flummox also recorded a performance for the UK-based High Taste at Home online music festival. The band later released this performance on their YouTube channel that December, and went on to release a remastered version of the set by
Angel Marcloid
Angel Marcloid (born September 24, 1984), best known by her main pseudonym and project Fire-Toolz, is an American experimental multi-instrumentalist, record producer, mix and mastering engineer, and visual artist who creates music blending a numbe ...
to streaming the following September as ''Live at Hop Springs''.
''Southern Progress'' (2024-)
In February 2024, Flummox performed a few dates with
Orlando
Orlando commonly refers to:
* Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States
Orlando may also refer to:
People
* Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name
* Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...
-based
alt-metal
Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...
band, Flagman. That spring, they opened for British
electronic rock
Electronic rock (also known as electro rock and synth rock) is a music genre that involves a combination of rock music and electronic music, featuring instruments typically found within both genres. It originates from the late 1960s when rock b ...
band
Enter Shikari
Enter Shikari are a British Rock music, rock band formed in St Albans in 1999 by bassist Chris Batten, lead vocalist and keyboardist Rou Reynolds, and drummer Rob Rolfe. In 2003, guitarist Rory Clewlow joined the band to complete its current li ...
at their Nashville tour stop. On July 23, 2024, Flummox announced they would be supporting Black Sabbath parody band Mac Sabbath and Mexicanavant-metal band Descartes A Kant for the former band's 10th anniversary tour.
On October 8, 2024, the band premiered the first single & title track for their new album entitled “Southern Progress.” Along with unveiling the album art, a spring 2025 release window for the record via Needlejuice Records was announced. The album was partially recorded by Jason Dietz ( Amigo the Devil, The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza,
Hank Williams III
Shelton Hank Williams (born December 12, 1972), known professionally as Hank Williams III, is an American singer, songwriter, and multiinstrumentalist. He was the drummer of hardcore punk band Arson Anthem, and bassist of Phil Anselmo's band ...
) at his Twin Oak studios with vocals & overdubs being recorded at
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Judas Priest have also been referred to as one of the p ...
guitarist Richie Faulkner’s home studio in Nashville, TN. On November 18,
Decibel magazine
''Decibel'' is a monthly heavy metal magazine published by the Philadelphia-based Red Flag Media since September 2004. It is currently the only monthly metal music magazine published in North America. Its sections include Upfront, Features, Revi ...
premiered another track & a music video for the song, "Executive Dysfunction." Along with this, the band announced the album pre-order with a release date of April 11, 2025.
In January 2025 it was announced Flummox would be touring the United States with Mac Sabbath again with California punk bands,
The Dickies
The Dickies are an American punk rock band formed in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, in 1977. One of the longest tenured punk rock bands, they have been in continuous existence for over 40 years. They have consistently balanced catchy mel ...
&
Guttermouth
Guttermouth is an American punk rock band formed in 1989 in Huntington Beach, California. They have released nine full-length studio albums and two live albums and have toured extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour. They are ...
on select dates. The following February, Magnet Magazine premiered the music video for another single, “Siren Shock”. On April 11, 2025, Flummox released ''Southern Progress''. In celebration, the band hosted an album release show in their hometown of Murfreesboro, TN. The album was met with mostly positive reviews.
Musical style and stage show
The band has primarily used the term "genre-fluid" to describe their music. When interviewed in 2019, Alyson Dellinger described their sound as, “....heavy, weird, theatrical, fusion, thrash rock? Sprinkle in some progressive, psychedelic, swing funk and avant-garde, death/doom jazz?” Austin Weber of ''
No Clean Singing
''No Clean Singing'' is an American heavy metal news and media website based in Seattle. The website primarily covers extreme music, and "bands with vocalists who exclusively scream, growl, or otherwise avoid melodic, 'traditional' singing". Is ...
'' stated, " hey are theperfect marriage between towering sludge heaviness and powerful psychedelic progressive-rock genius" calling their first album "a modern classic." Natasha Scharf, in an article for Prog magazine, referred to them as "
alt
Alt or ALT may refer to:
Abbreviations for words
* Alt account, an alternative online identity also known as a sock puppet account
* Alternate character, in online gaming
* Alternate route, type of highway designation
* Alternating group, mathem ...
Metal Injection
''Metal Injection'' is an American online music publication focusing on hard rock and heavy metal. It was founded in 2003 by Frank Godla and Robert Pasbani in Brooklyn, and officially launched on January 1, 2004. It was initially established as ...
'' considered them "difficult to categorize" and said "few if any bands based in
sludge
Sludge (possibly , or some dialect related to slush) is a semi-solid slurry that can be produced from a range of industrial processes, from water treatment, wastewater treatment or on-site sanitation systems. It can be produced as a settled sus ...
and
doom
Doom is another name for damnation.
Doom may also refer to:
People
* Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed
* Daniel Doom (1934–2020), Belgian cyclist
* Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitche ...
get as weird as Flummox do." ''
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...
'' remarked that they sounded "...like
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...
with a dash of
Protest the Hero
Protest the Hero is a Canadian progressive metal band from Whitby, Ontario. Originally named Happy Go Lucky, the band changed their name to Protest the Hero, then released their debut EP, '' Search for the Truth'', in 2002. In 2005, the band re ...
-esque prog wonkiness." For ''
Decibel Magazine
''Decibel'' is a monthly heavy metal magazine published by the Philadelphia-based Red Flag Media since September 2004. It is currently the only monthly metal music magazine published in North America. Its sections include Upfront, Features, Revi ...
'''s Deciblog, Jeff Treppel wrote " he bandclearly digs Primus,
Mr. Bungle
Mr. Bungle is an American experimental rock band formed in Eureka, California, in 1985. The band is known for its eclecticism, cycling through several musical genres, often within the course of a single song, including heavy metal, avant-garde ...
, and
Mastodon
A mastodon, from Ancient Greek μαστός (''mastós''), meaning "breast", and ὀδούς (''odoús'') "tooth", is a member of the genus ''Mammut'' (German for 'mammoth'), which was endemic to North America and lived from the late Miocene to ...
," but added "...despite some fairly obvious influences, they never sound like a straight ripoff."
Terrorizer
Terrorizer is an American grindcore band from Los Angeles, California. It was originally formed in 1985 as Unknown Death by vocalist Oscar Garcia and guitarist Jesse Pintado. They would rename themselves Terrorizer after recruiting drummer Pete ...
referred to their sound as "Sludge-meets-psychedelic-meets-doom-meets-
Monty Python
Monty Python, also known as the Pythons, were a British comedy troupe formed in 1969 consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. The group came to prominence for the sketch comedy ser ...
-meets-
Motown
Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...
."
Flummox is also known for their unpredictable and theatrical stage-shows that utilize a variety of props as well as musical improvisation, audience participation, choreographed gags, performance art, and sketch comedy. The complexity and theatrical nature of their stage-show is based on whatever is in their setlist that changes with every show, as Dellinger has a strict rule about "never playing the same set twice." A common bit in their song "Oh, Possum" is for Dellinger to " transform" into an
opossum
Opossums () are members of the marsupial order Didelphimorphia () endemic to the Americas. The largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, it comprises 126 species in 18 genera. Opossums originated in South America and entered North A ...
by disappearing behind the stage, returning costumed as the animal, and acting out various traits such as playing dead, jumping into trash cans, and crawling on all fours. Because of this, the band has come to be associated with opossums and often uses the animal as a mascot in their merchandising and overall image. During live performances of their song, "Black Phillip" (a song inspired by plot elements from the 2015 film, '' The Witch''), Dellinger dons a
goat
The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...
mask and performs a mock
child sacrifice
Child sacrifice is the ritualistic killing of children in order to please or appease a deity, supernatural beings, or sacred social order, tribal, group or national loyalties in order to achieve a desired result. As such, it is a form of human ...
by cutting open a baby doll full of candy; hand feeding the candy into the mouths of audience members before she tosses the remains of the doll into the crowd.
Discogs
Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...