ALBUM REVIEW: Is, Qui Mortem Audit – Fordomth

In a country that is already saturated, almost to bursting it seems, with bands who are taking extreme metal down darker and more experimental paths, Italy’s FORDOMTH are perhaps one of the better acts to be currently active within the country’s vibrant underground scene. Making a significant statement of intent with their sprawling debut, I.N.D.N.S.L.E, the band planted their foot firmly in the death doom sound, with their subsequent split with MALAURIU leaning more heavily towards a black metal sound. Their latest album, Is, Qui Mortem Audit, sees the band strike an excellent balance between the two styles, resulting in not only their magnum opus, but also a much more adventurous style.

Esse provides a monolithic, monstrous opening clarion, with cacophonous drums, meaty, punishing guitar hooks and acerbic vocals that incorporate shrill shrieks and tar thick gutturals all making for a gargantuan, imposing sound right off the bat. The jarring guitars and vocals, counterpointed by a more thunderous approach from the drums and bass, make for a powerful offering that is both haunting and aggressive in equal measure. Audere takes the this juxtaposition in FORDOMTH sound to new levels, with frenetic drums, feral vocals clashing with the slicker, melody driven nature of the guitars and bass, which pierce the unerring darkness with shards of light. The sublime interlude, much like the one of the last track, helps to break up the song, providing a brief reprieve from the intensity of the bulk of the music, before launching headlong into a far more chaotic and caustic motif similar to the one that the track began with.

Scire is a noxious blend of gnarled, dissonant guitars, demented percussion and equally visceral vocal deliveries, proving to be, if not one of the best tracks on the album thus far, then certainly the most unflinchingly heavy. The pulsing death metal undercurrent that is present in this song works extremely well, adding a denser and more pummelling quality to this particular number, with slower, melancholic lead hooks giving this song a far more cinematic sound that elevates it above what has come before it.

Mors takes a much different route, with leaner, more focused musicianship and a foreboding, doom-laden sound giving this a much more streamlined, but nonetheless cavernous sound. There’s some excellent, razor sharp guitars and equally biting vocals, which give this song a much more barbed, grating side that really works well with the bubbling bass passages and hypnotic drumming, altering the sound somewhat without sacrificing the ferocity of the music. The final, untitled track, is a much shorter affair than the rest of the album, with a noisier side to it and a bombastic, ritualistic feel that sets it apart from the rest of the album for all the right reasons, with sonorous chanting, buzzing feedback and sparse, creepy melodies, departing almost entirely from the sound that dominates the rest of the record, adding a primordial flourish to the end of this record.

Whereas many bands tend to refine their sound, getting more polished with each subsequent release, FORDOMTH seem to be doing the opposite; comparing this album with the slick death doom of I.N.D.N.S.L.E, it’s clear that the band’s music is heading down much murkier, and noticeably more primordial, route with their sound. This is definitely not a bad thing, as this album is easily one of the most noxious and intoxicating musical blends by any band at the moment. This primal and bellicose mix of black, death and doom has paid off, and hopefully they’ll continue down this route with whatever they come up with next.

Rating: 9/10

Is, Qui Mortem Audit is out now via Auric Records.

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