“Atmospheric”, “reflective”, “epic”… some of the superlatives that have been used to describe the music of Fen over the years. “Savage”, on the other hand… not so much. Until now.
Fen established a foothold in the London live scene 2006 -2007, prior to debut album “The Malediction Fields” being released 2009. Their catalogue has since showcased a range of emotions, from the reflective despair of 2012s “Dustwalker”, to the triumphant cosmic undertones of 2019s “The Dead Light”. Though drummers have come and gone alongside periodic keyboardists, the core line-up of The Watcher and Grungyn has remained stalwart.
“Scouring Ignorance” is a no-nonsense opening shot of intent, with The Watchers rasp more full-throated than ever. The title track follows, and is more in keeping with the traditional Fen sound, with tremolo-picked melodies layered over multiple time-changes. “Thrall” showcases the bands proggy chops embellished with powerful bombastic percussion, whilst “To Silence And Abyss We Reach” features good use of clean vocals, with Grungyn taking the bass for a walk at the end.
Whilst there’s not really a stand-out track on an album as consistent as this, “Truth Is Futility” is noteworthy for running the gauntlet of Fens arsenal; it starts off with optimistic opening chords, evolving into epic tremolo-picked riffage, progressive high register basslines and dexterous varied drumming. The song breaks for Anathema-esque layers of feedback in the middle, before a primal beat on the tom-toms segues back into a progression of the opening chords and a thrashy Voivod-esque riff.
“Eschatons Gift” is quite majestic in delivery, boasting hopeful melodies that ring out, the drums and bass in perfect synchronisation, underpinned with doomy delivery. “Wracked” is about as bread-n-butter as Fen get, including some ringing-out power chords and quasi-D-beat action in the middle. Closing with the ultimate in pessimistic outlooks “All Is Lost” opens with a pensive melodic passage that meanders alongside the bass about three and half minutes, before erupting in a swell of anger, albeit with that air of cautious optimism that always manages to cut through the doom and despair.
“Monuments To Absence” represents a logical waypoint on Fens epic yet concise musical journey. They have evolved from the despair of youth, through bleak optimism, now arriving at full-on outrage at the state of the world. Aggressive yet reflective, with their trademark mature song composition intact, Fen continue to deliver high quality progressive black metal. You can catch them on tour this November; more’s the shame that UK festival promoters haven’t got their shit together for audiences to see this outstanding band on a bigger stage.
(8/10 Doogz)
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