FEN — Epoch (review)

FEN — Epoch album cover Album · 2011 · Atmospheric Black Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4.5/5 ·
bartosso
I'm a big fen!

Fen got themselves a new fanatic. I haven't been so excited about an extreme metal band since discovering Opeth back in 2005! The music these guys play is absolutely haunting, beautiful and intriguing extreme metal, deeply rooted in the black side of the genre. Did I mention that black metal is not really my cup of tea?

When it comes to mixing styles I consider myself quite a picky person. I hate bands that clumsily combine different genres, creating an inconsistent medley. However, Fen mixed all elements with such talent and intuition that I just couldn't be dissatisfied. Obviously, the core of the whole is black metal, but what Fen has built on that foundation is a pure bliss. EPOCH is a fascinating journey where black metal savagery meets psychedelic and wistful sounds of shoegaze seasoned with post rock lightness and dreamy atmosphere of foggy wilderness. The music is emotional and bleak but you won't find any cheap or imitative tricks used to achieve the result. Everything stays in balance, just like in nature. Softness and harshness merge in one consistent and unique piece of art. There's originality of riffs and progression of rhythms but with ambiance in the foreground; there's fury and rawness of black metal with genuine passion being of prime importance. Really, in terms of creating unique and moving harmonies Fen are the Opeth of black metal.

There's one thing that gets on my nerves when I listen to typical atmospheric black metal band - that is monotony. Lengthy and unimaginative passages that cause impatience at best and boredom at worst. I was all the more surprised when I realized that I didn't get bored, not even once, while listening to EPOCH. I sat, speechless with wonder, listening to heart rending final of "Carrier of Echoes", evocative "Ghosts of the Flood" and haunting "The Gibbet Elms".
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

The Star Melodic Black Metal
WORMWOOD
Buy this album from MMA partners
Sounds of The Forgotten Progressive Metal
WITHERFALL
Buy this album from MMA partners
Preaching Our Doomsday Coming Doom Metal
DOOM MONGER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Transcend Metalcore
CRAZY GRIZZLY
Buy this album from MMA partners
Eden Tough Technical Death Metal
ASEITAS
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

CRAZY GRIZZLY - PARALLAX Feat RIKO AGUS [Official Music Video]
CRAZY GRIZZLY
Bosh66· 11 hours ago
CRAZY GRIZZLY - ASPERSION Feat BEARFOURS [Official Music Video]
CRAZY GRIZZLY
Bosh66· 11 hours ago
CRAZY GRIZZLY - TERRA LUNA [Official Music Video]
CRAZY GRIZZLY
Bosh66· 11 hours ago
CRAZY GRIZZLY I DEATH STRANDNG I OFFICIAL LYRICS VIDEO
CRAZY GRIZZLY
Bosh66· 11 hours ago
CRAZY GRIZZLY - THE SADDLE OF HORSES (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)
CRAZY GRIZZLY
Bosh66· 11 hours ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed