FOLGE DEM WIND — Inhale the Sacred Poison (review)

FOLGE DEM WIND — Inhale the Sacred Poison album cover Album · 2011 · Pagan Black Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
J-Man
At first acquaintance, Inhale the Sacred Poison can be quite a difficult listen. With virtually no melodies to grasp onto, Folge Dem Wind's second effort will certainly take some dedication and focused listening sessions to fully understand. Even after a solid 5 run-throughs (the number I've given as I write this review), I still feel like I have even more to learn about this album. Inhale the Sacred Poison is a raw, often dissonant, and frequently cacophonic, experimental black metal outing that will unquestionably take some time for the average listener to understand. Although Folge Dem Wind's second full-length is inaccessible at first, don't at all mistake that with the actual quality of the music. This is a strikingly original, and at times groundbreaking, album that is filled with strokes of genius. There are some unremarkable sections throughout Inhale the Sacred Poison's 50 minute duration, but it's a generally strong effort from a band with tons of potential.

The music on Inhale the Sacred Poison is experimental, occasionally avant-garde, sounding black metal (not unlike fellow Frenchmen Deathspell Omega). There's some jazzy sections (even including saxophone soloing), as well as mellow acoustic sections and epic progressive portions. This is an eclectic album, and an unfortunate byproduct of that is a tad of inconsistency. The amount of dissonant riffs and eclectic song structures that occupy Inhale the Sacred Poison can really make for a difficult listen at first, but (thankfully) the album did grow on me over time. The musicians on Inhale the Sacred Poison are generally excellent - Folge Dem Wind is a tight-playing unit with plenty of talent. The vocals are usually in the typical black metal-style, with a few "weird" sounds and clean singing sections.

The production is pretty raw, but still contains a nice level of polish and professionalism. This isn't the most revolutionary mix you'll ever hear in a black metal record, but it gets the job done.

Harsh and dissonant avant-garde black metal like this is generally a mixed bag for me, so you could say that I've been pleasantly surprised by Inhale the Sacred Poison. This took many listens for me to appreciate (and it will probably take a dozen more before I can confidently say that I "get it"), but the trip was well-worth it. Folge Dem Wind's second full-length is lacking a bit in the consistency department, but it shows a band with an adventurous attitude and original sound - that certainly doesn't go unnoticed by me. Inhale the Sacred Poison is a favorable 3.5 stars from this reviewer - any fan of avant garde black metal is advised to check this out.
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

It Gets Worse Sludge Metal
KULK
Buy this album from MMA partners
Černé Srdce Atmospheric Sludge Metal
ARCHETYP
Buy this album from MMA partners
Anomalia Metalcore
AGREMORTA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Ingräte Metalcore
INGRÄTE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Fossil Gardens Black Metal
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Agremorta - Adrocitas (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 12 hours ago
Agremorta - Ploratus Umbra (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 12 hours ago
Agremorta - Vertex Membrana (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 12 hours ago
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR - The Temple Of Curved Space (Official Track Stream)
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR
adg211288· 14 hours ago
In Sulfur - The Gate (OFFICIAL VIDEO) 2022
IN SULFUR
Bosh66· 1 day 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