An offshoot of Saor, Fuath’s atmospheric black metal takes its influence from original 90s black metal but also the harsh and rugged landscapes of Scotland and its cultural heritage. The artist behind Fuath quotes the ritual of walking through the forest in frost and snow as being the main source of inspiration for this album.
The frosty tones of Darkthrone, the lingering atmosphere of very early Dimmu Borgir, the mysterious evil of Burzum and mystical drive of Windir are all here. “Prophecies” is a cold and sharp experience. The tempo gravitates from creeping evil to fast-paced, drum-led canter. A haunting chorus can be heard. The piece ends bleakly and menacingly. From this frying pan we go into “The Pyre”. The constant drum signals that it will be heard. The solo artist that is Fuath growls like fire. The tension mounts as the drum continues to beat and the thing moves on apace. I felt the fire and brimstone but there’s an air of predictability here. Swathes of dark clouds sweep through “Into the Forest of Shadows”. Mid way through there is a quieter and well-placed atmospheric passage before the hammering destination resumes, and epic natural landscapes are evoked.
The cold and uncompromising style of “Essence” is pure Burzum. The momentum suggests that we’re on a journey to somewhere but there’s always that creepy, threatening edge to it. Melody seems incongruous to music portraying bleak and inhospitable landscapes but It features in both the Norwegian and this version of black metal. This develops into a dark monologue and a bleak, repetitive ending. True to the theme, the album ends with “Endless Winter”. It’s another blast-beating, fast journey through blizzard-like scenes, continuing monotonously before fading obscurely in the wind.
Atmosphere is the name of the game. “II” has all the properties of a harsh black metal album. It recalls pagan settings and cold landscapes through the style, but I couldn’t say this truly inspired me as those original Norwegian black metal warriors once did.
(7/10 Andrew Doherty)
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