ALBUM REVIEW: Fear Rides A Shadow – Feral Light
In a refreshing turn of events, two-pieces, like that of FERAL LIGHT, have experienced a spike in popularity in recent years, particularly in the realm in underground metal. Trios have always been a staple in rock music as a whole, while the now-cliché ‘one-man black-metal band’ has become commonplace with the success of BURZUM, followed by LEVIATHAN, XASTHUR and many others. Two-pieces in metal and hardcore are supremely underrated, able to boast a gritty and minimalist attack which their counterparts cannot. Last year, MANTAR released the blistering Modern Art Of Settling Ablaze; a chaotic masterpiece which awakened many to the fact that you don’t require a populous line-up to offer crushing music. Similarly, IMMORTAL released one of the most savage and focused albums of their entire career in Northern Chaos Gods, which came following their line-up reduction. In 2019, great things often come in pairs, and FERAL LIGHT are no exception.
FERAL LIGHT are a glorious and savage musical amalgam which calls upon the glimmering post-metal made popular by bands such as ISIS and RED SPARROWS, alongside the frostbitten black metal of old, clearly influenced by bands such as ENSLAVED and DISSECTION, with a healthy incorporation of black ‘n roll to develop a propelling forward momentum. One could even describe their latest album, Fear Rides A Shadow, as the musical middle-ground of IMMORTAL’s Sons Of Northern Darkness and NEUROSIS’ Times Of Grace – two wildly different albums they may be, but the positive and unique traits of both are present here. The drama of the former combines with the menacing lurk of the latter, and it makes for a fascinating listen.
Formed by the talents of guitarist/bassist/vocalist Andy Schoengrund (ex-MANATHEREN, ex-WOLVHAMMER) and drummer Andrew Reesen, FERAL LIGHT have successful stripped back all the unnecessary bells and whistles without sacrificing any of the dynamics that are possible with an expansive line-up of musicians. This is made immediately clear in the opening two-songs. Wake begins the album by offering an immersive overture of sorts, a composition of emotive lead-work which builds tension and invites the listener in in a superbly effective fashion. It gives way to blistering black-metal, starting the album-proper, introducing Arrow Beast, one of the most direct and menacing songs on Fear Rides A Shadow. Calling upon influences such as the misanthropic wail of LEVIATHAN and the old-school necro-gallop of IMMORTAL, it makes for an exhilarating cocktail. The band don’t maintain solely this amalgam throughout Fear Rides A Shadow, often employing their diverse range of influences, but never straying from the general tone established at this point on the album.
A key album highlight comes with the track Psychic Dirt. While announcing its arrival with a blizzard-like riff taken directly from the second wave of Norwegian black metal, the key moment is the entrance of one of the most triumphant riffs one is likely to hear this year. While up to this point the duo have been sticking uniformly to their formula of post-metal crossed with traditional black metal, here they reference the stomp of bands such as heavy-weights METALLICA and cult-icons PRIMORDIAL, and even the most weighty forms of power metal, like that present on HELLOWEEN’s Walls Of Jericho. This may seem like a curious influence, and it’s quite possible FERAL LIGHT had no intention of referring to that genre (one is willing to bet they did not), but it is a rather seamless passage in the song and makes for an entirely more interesting listen.
The finest song on the album however is Carbonic Dust, where they band lean on the side-winding, arcane works of NEUROSIS and AMEBIX more than anywhere else. While the rest of the experiments are certainly well-performed, it is clear this is where FERAL LIGHTS’s strengths lie. It is also the point on the album where it is more surprising this is a two-piece; heaviness and brutality have always been possible in this framework, but the ability to create such layered and complex compositions with two performers is something worthy of immense admiration.
On Fear Rides A Shadow, there is very little to complain about. The production job is excellently done, providing the rich depth that these songs deserve. The mastering is actually done by James Plotkin, who has made his name working with doom icons ELECTRIC WIZARD and underground darlings CONAN, and he pitches this album’s place between snarling rumble and shimmering light in an exquisite manner. The flow of the album is also exceptional, as each song provides a refreshing counterpart to the one which precedes it. It makes the listening experience feel brisk and weightless, often a problem for bands of this ilk, setting them apart from the pack once again.
To conclude, FERAL LIGHT have produced a very impressive record in Fear Rides A Shadow; it’s bold in its execution and smart in its composition. They may be a young band, but they are showing intelligence beyond their years and its excellent to observe. Keep your eyes on this group – this may not be the totally finished article, but on the strength of this album, they are likely to release a truly astounding album in the future.
Rating: 7/10
Fear Rides A Shadow is out now via Pulverised Records.
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