(We begin a new week at NCS with Daniel Barkasi’s review of a new album by the UK black metal band Fen, recently released by Prophecy Productions.)
The UK black metal scene is one of vibrance and diversity in approach. Of the long-standing members of that geographical scene, Fen stands alongside Saor and Winterfylleth as the most eclectic of the bunch, with today’s subject being a prolific example of never making the same album twice, choosing to continuously take risks over familiar stylistic comfort.
Since releasing their astounding and ever-relevant debut The Malediction Fields back in 2009 to throw the black metal hordes on their proverbial heads, it’s been a harrowing journey since, with a wide array of sonic shifts and creative swerves. That album will always be a special one for yours truly, and having witnessed it played in full at Fortress Festival remains a core memory.
Masterworks such as the seminal Dustwalker and the bitingly dynamic The Dead Light are also foundational works in the history of atmospheric black metal, pushing boundaries while bludgeoning with an endless cavalcade of riffs.
Others didn’t land quite as close to those established heights, though all have their place in Fen‘s story. With the benefit of hindsight, each at minimum contain massive standout moments; Carrion Skies took the impossible task of quickly following Dustwalker and is altogether a great record, but not quite reaching the legendary status of its predecessor, where the experimental, proggy Winter has over time been a release that we’ve grown to appreciate more and more.
2023 saw the arrival of Monuments to Absence, emphatically unearthing the band’s vicious side in ways not tread before, whilst deeply wading into differingly expansive and complex waters, and as per Fen tradition, provided a record that’s altogether riveting and ethereal as it is a thorough pummeling.
Arriving at the now, the 20th year since their formation, and the three-piece from the East Anglian region of England – more specifically, The Fens, hence the name – have returned with the first of a two-part opus in Elemental (Part 1: Mourning Earth) to mark the occasion.
In terms of how they would present their eighth full-length, historically, Fen is a tough nut to crack prediction-wise, so the best approach is to open the mind wide and fully immerse oneself, as the details will be plentiful and the best bits will be surfaced by way of full engagement. What we have this time is an amalgamation of sorts that successfully harnesses the band’s bountiful past, all scrupulously curated in a manner that steadfastly looks forward.
Elemental commences with an airy demeanor by way of “Glacier”; precisely timed and rhythmic drums fading in, accompanied by waves of subtle clean guitar passages and soulful vocal croons. The voicings turn harsh and the guitars transition into crunchy distorted riffage, as the tension increases further with an artistic swagger.
A wonderful build from a band who are astute experts at this specific compositional skill, showing off their post-black sensibilities to great impact, though not going overboard into self-indulgent territory. The wave of ringing leads at 4:37 begins the track’s crescendo, powerful and mesmeric from start-to-finish.
Fen definitively embrace their lush, earthy, atmospheric side on this opener and throughout Elemental, but the balance between that and ripping black metal moxie is threaded with pinpoint precision. “Tectonic” kicks the door in, with The Watcher riffing and roaring away with searing aplomb. Grungyn‘s sneaky bass lines give that extra bit of kick, as the track cleverly traverses between sweeping harmonies and cranial smashing aggression.
Comparatively to Monuments to Absence, this album isn’t as explicitly punchy, but it’s also a hair more refined and intrinsically focused. Meditative passages like the beginning of “Massif” are of the most calming and hypnotic on offer, whereas the galloping stampede of burly blackened menace that follows is one of Fen’s most emphatic you’ll find here. Yet, it all simply works on all conceivable levels, invoking a bevy of emotions that sting as the song spills over into the serene “Abyssal Plain” to calm the mood, with an emphasis on vocal harmonies and acoustics to navigate the tone as we again transition into meatier soundscapes without losing the ever-crucial aura they’ve manifested.
If you’re yearning for a dose of their earlier post-rock structures, “Barrow” will certainly appeal, and the particularly explosive middle run will equally garner the attention of those who adore their more savage side, rounding out with a soulful finale that’s impossible for this writer to not nod along to with a big smirk. Drummer JG shines brightly front-to-back, but extra notably on this track, sometimes understated, sometimes taking the wheel and driving the tempo. It’s of no question that his abilities have been integral since joining not long after The Dead Light.
Completing the trek is “Moor” – the longest track by a wide margin at just under 13 minutes, though the level of immersion makes it feel much more brief. Truth be told, this is one of the best compositions Fen have mustered in the last few albums, showcasing all of the finite elements that make them so effective while also being so unapologetically them. The aggressive moments will shred the listener to bits, the whimsical segments will move and captivate, and they all conjoin at its zenith, leaving your hapless self devoid of breath as you ache for more.
As somebody whose listening habits focus on full albums and not single cuts, we have to say that each of the six songs encompassed by Elemental have something singularly exceptional to offer, but of course when combined into a single entity, the significance of the whole that is this record is readily apparent. To this scribe, Fen is a special band, and with any such act, my scrutiny is even more pointed than that of a new-ish band, because what they’re capable of is truly special.
With this first of two parts of Elemental, Fen manage to pack so much into what is their shortest full-length to date (a few seconds under 47 minutes), rounding out to be a profoundly tight, diversified record that utilizes all of the band’s collective qualities to meticulous and indelible fashion. Fen are still the kings of their spectrum of black metal, and whatever they have in store for the second part of this concept, my impatient self hopes that it arrives sooner rather than later.
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