ALBUM REVIEW: II: The Ground Below – Famyne
Canterbury’s FAMYNE are one of the more wide-ranging doom acts operating within the UK’s vibrant underground scene at the moment, at least when it comes to the huge array of influences that they employ in their sound. Drawing expansively not only from classic doom, but also prog rock and grunge among others, they have a brilliant sound that is incredibly hard to pigeonhole into a single subgenre. It’s made for some incredibly broad and eclectic records that have gained the band a sizeable following since the release of their debut self-titled EP in 2015. The band’s second album II: The Ground Below is not only a fine example of this in action for those unfamiliar with their music, but also sees their already expansive sound develop even further, making this their most ambitious work to date.
Defeated is a powerful opener, with a vast, cavernous sound that blends huge chords, thunderous drums and haunting melodies that, when coupled with the soaring vocals, make for a fierce but incredibly grandiose sound. It’s a great, catchy piece of epic doom that does a great job of grabbing the listener’s attention immediately. Solid Earth takes a more stoner rock approach, with chunky, rhythmic guitars and authoritative drums building a brilliant, groove-laden feel as angelic vocals and slick leads add plenty of flavour to proceedings, injecting a bombastic edge to what is a darker affair on the whole. Gone opts for a slower, bleaker sound and cleaner guitars, leaning towards the band’s more progressive side than the heady doom of the first two offerings. The crisp guitar sound, interwoven with hypnotic drums and measured, droning vocals, eventually shifts towards a heavier, driven sound that still manages to maintain the elements that make this song such an immersive piece of music.
A Submarine takes the polished guitar sound of its predecessor, along with its slow-burning qualities, and develops them further, with soft, almost whispered vocals and crystalline guitars stripping away much of the underlying aggression that has marked earlier tracks. Even as the song crescendos into its expansive, harder second half, it retains the lighter components and psychedelia-tinged prog rock songwriting, never fully turning the music over to the muscular metal sound of earlier offerings. In fact, the music takes on a more free-form, almost jazz feel as it progresses, even finding room for some well-placed piano sections to add yet another layer to an already imaginative track.
Babylon ramps up the distortion prominently, adopting hazy guitars and a primal, percussive drumming style. This is an absolute juggernaut, with granite thick riffs, hefty bass and the as always cinematic vocals all lending a massive sound to proceedings. It’s an impressive slab of stoner rock informed by a morose sludge and epic doom influence that’s hard not to love instantly. Once More is another great example of the band pushing their music into progressive and dramatic territories, with fuzzy distortion clashing perfectly with glorious vocals. The tight leads have a pronounced hard rock influence to them, whilst keeping one foot firmly planted within doom, adding another component to the album’s already diverse sound.
Penultimate track The Ai is an exercise in exploring doom’s gloomier, gothic side, with cavernous rhythms, morose vocals and bleak melodicism that takes the bombast and melancholy of acts like MY DYING BRIDE and alters it to be far punchier and more energetic, peppering in a chorus towards the song’s climactic moments that is evocative of gospel to result in a track that is at turns both miserable and mesmerising. For My Sins makes great use of sludgy bass hooks and beefy guitars to gradually craft a monstrous, but at points intricate, conclusion to the record. It balances weightier doom with some delicate experimental flourishes, giving this a meaty sound, interspersed with subtle but interesting touches that work incredibly well and make for a more engrossing listen.
In direct comparison to the band’s debut album, it’s clear that something has happened within the intervening four years that has made FAMYNE far more confident and adventurous when it comes to songwriting. Although they were not lacking when it came to great music, much of the music that features on that record drew fairly heavily from a prominent epic doom influence, with only a few variations hinting at the sort of experimentation and musical depth that was to come on the album that would follow it. On The Ground Below, it’s evident that not only have FAMYNE developed not just from a standpoint of musicianship, but also in a willingness to explore and incorporate a wider selection of musical influences from song to song. Where some songs on the first record seemed to fit into a stricter formula, each of the eight songs on here are distinctly different to each other, each excelling for different reasons whilst still embracing the underlying core of the band’s sound as a thread that binds these songs together. It’s an outstanding record on all fronts, and establishes FAMYNE as one of British doom’s modern day standout acts.
Rating: 9/10
II: The Ground Below is out now via Svart Records.
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