Furor Gallico have been steadily finding their own identity and refining their sound over their four album career so far. This very accomplished and impressive Italian Folk Metal band have their own approach to this style, granting them their own place within the genre that, although their musical career is getting close to twenty years and their recorded output is sparse by many standards, their albums are well crafted out and thoughtfully planned. As album number four dawns, I suppose the obvious comparison that Furor Gallico will have is with Eluveitie. And yes, there are elements of the mighty Swiss Folk behemoth about Furor Gallico, but there has always been a unique personal identity to this band.
Furor Gallico’s approach to Folk Metal is with a bit more melancholy than others. They create a mood and build a song, rather than smacking the listener in the face with a wave of Melodic Death Metal interspersed with catchy Folk passages. This was also the case on previous releases, but this album has a more focused and mature feel than previous output. Most of the eight songs on “Future To Come” may have their roots in Melodic Death Metal, but they have just as much in Celtic Folk, with the arrangements mixing the styles from wide extremities and varying the dominant style in each. As much attention is granted to the more acoustic segments of the songs as there is to the full-on Metal sides, yet the band skip between, and blend the two so effortlessly that it gives the album a wonderful flow.
There’s some great heavy guitar riffs and fabulous powerful rhythms throughout the album, but equally there is as much enjoyment to be taken from the acoustic guitars, the excellent violin, celtic harp, bouzouki and gorgeous moments like the low whistle part in the middle of ‘Black Skies’ which is a personal highlight. Vocally Furor Gallico also have their own approach, with a low guttural growl for the harsh vocal, alongside some clean mid-range male vocals and melodic female vocals. The clean vocals, especially the female, are mixed down a little into the music more than the harsh, which gives the melodies more of a musical feel and the vocal style more juxtaposition. The female vocals carry the majority of the choruses so it seems unorthodox that they aren’t more front and centre (because they absolutely have the tone and competence to be there), but this is another slight nuance that adds to Furor Gallico showcasing their own style.
This is certainly an impressive album full of interest and depth, mixing musical styles so well, and always in such a confident and forceful way. Highlights are plentiful (don’t get me started on the fantastic shared guitar and violin solo in ‘Faith Upon Lies’ for instance), and for a band with a budget that is a fraction of someone like Eluveitie, this is an album that gains more integrity with each listen. In the past it may have taken Furor Gallico a few years to release each album, but I really feel that this time they have found a songwriting approach that suits the band perfectly and I especially hope that another album of this high quality won’t be too long in the future…to come.
(8.5/10 Andy Barker)
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