Fen – Winter (2017)

Only getting better and better with time, today we have UK’s Atmospheric Black Metal masters Fen and their latest musical opus titled “Winter”. Delivering over 75 minutes of music, the band further cements their status as one of the scene’s best, thanks to the outstanding level of quality and creativity their music showcases. Greatly improving on what bands like Agalloch, Drudkh, and Negură Bunget have done in the past, this release is a definitely must have for fans of atmospheric Black Metal.

Opening with the 17-minute behemoth “I (Pathway)”, the band has enough time to build up with atmospheric elements and majestically transition between hypnotic melodic passages and very aggressive sections. After such an intense and moody opening, the band brilliantly transitions into calmer territories with the dreamy opening of “II (Penance)”. In this track we get to enjoy the playful interplay between the guitars and the intricate bass guitar line, while keeping things heavy and mellow thanks to the aggressive vocals and tight drums.

As the album progresses, things get more melodic with brilliant tracks like “III (Fear)” and “IV (Interment)” which allow you to get lost in Fen’s lush musical world. These two tracks are perfect for headbanging as the guitar riffing is outstanding and very melodic in nature. The trio behind the band has impressive song writing skills, allowing them to weave back and forth between levels of intensity while sounding quite elegant.

Closing with the moody “V (Death)”, our favorite track in this release, and the mostly atmospheric “V (Sight)”, the band ends this album with the same ferociousness it started. “Winter” is yet another brilliant release from the uncompromising Fen, where the band continues to develop their unique sound and fine-tune their style. If you like atmospheric Black Metal with killer melodic riffs, crushing progressions, and melancholic passages, look no further and get a copy of this gem.

Label: Code666 Records

Release: March 10th, 2017

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal

Country: UK