ALBUM REVIEW: Fringe – Lurk

It takes guts for a band in this day and age to release an album that isn’t available of streaming services, but LURK have done just that. The quartet from Tampere, Finland cannot be located on Spotify or Apple Music meaning that the only way you’ll be able to access their new record Fringe is via a good old fashioned CD or LP. Released via Transcending Obscurity earlier this month, Fringe is the debut full-length album by LURK following on from a number of singles that have seen the light of day since the band’s formation in 2008.

Curiously, this is a rather short album in the world of doom and sludge metal: of the eight tracks present, only one extends past seven-and-a-half minutes and the whole affair is done within three quarters of an hour. But that’s more than enough time for LURK to entice you into their world of atmospheric melancholy and take you on a journey of the very darkest nature.

Opening track Ostrakismos is, save for a few choice growls by vocalist K. Koskinen, an entirely instrumental affair that sets the tone for the record impressively; from here on in, what unfolds is a truly monolithic work of doom, sludge and black metal that will do much to impose LURK on the worldwide scene of extreme metal.

Across the record, riffs the size of boulders from A. Pulkkinen gatecrash the senses with the force of a landslide, particularly on the likes of Reclaim and Furrow, yet LURK‘s ability to segue into a more delicate and sublime feel, such as the mid-section of Tale Blade, is a delight, for it allows the listener to take stock of what has come before and marvel at the craftmanship and technical excellence that underpins the entire record.

Naturally, this will be lapped up by fans of BLACK SABBATH and ELECTRIC WIZARD, but the harsher elements will appease those more suited to MOONSORROW and WINTERFYLLETH whilst the more progressive strains, such as on closer Proteus Syndrome, will prick the ears of both MASTODON and PALLBEARER followers; it’s testament to the band that Fringe encompasses so many different styles and genres, yet never get unbalanced enough to only focus on one of these.

A perfect record for one of those stereotypical dark and stormy nights that seem to befit this sound well, LURK have rightfully received very poistive reviews for Fringe and this isn’t about to change; they’ve come up with a wonderful, textured record that will be talked about for a long time to come.

Rating: 8/10

Fringe it out now via Transcending Obscurity Records. 

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