Style: speed/power metal, symphonic black metal, some prog (mixed, female vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Emperor, 90s Hellenic black metal, early German power/speed metal, faster USPM acts like Riot, Agent Steele, etc.
Review by: Sam
Country: Florida, United States
Release date: 13 October, 2023
Out of all the metal subgenre combinations, black metal and power metal historically have had surprisingly little overlap. I’ve always found this strange as the genres share plenty of similarities to make the mashup work: fast tempos, a melodic inclination, and a shared fascination with fantasy works and epic scenery. Really all you’ve gotta do is pull out the tremolo every once in a while as you abuse the double kick, turn your YEEAAAHHHs into shrieks and you’re already halfway there. I’ve only ever encountered a handful of groups who’ve attempted this, and none of them feel like they managed to push the boundaries on what’s possible. Is Faethom up to the challenge?
Well, one thing’s for sure, and that’s that the guitarwork is absolutely killer. Nearly every song has multiple memorable riffs, ranging from nasty speed metal neck breakers, to groovy, heavy/power metal style power chord bashing, to spidery prog riffs, to thrashy tremolo, and more, and when it comes to solos there’s plenty of ripping bursts of shred. Our 80s metal inclined readers will find plenty to love in Chaosmorphogoria (say that three times fast I dare you). For nearly every misstep there is on this record, there is another amazing riff waiting around the corner to make up for it. The only track that didn’t land for me at all in this regard was “Goregantuan” with its plodding main riff and mediocre symphonic black metal strumming. For basically any other track though it’s riffs galore.
The core sound of this group sits somewhere in between 90s symphonic black metal, early German power/speed metal, and prog. What’s interesting is the use of 80s horror/sci-fi sounding synths which give the music a dorky charm. They work nicely in tandem with the riffs, trading the spotlight with the guitar using campy synth lines and filling out the atmosphere with spooky and/or epic horror patches otherwise. “Blackfire Star” and “Feral” are great examples of Mariela Muerte’s versatility on keys, showing both her talent for lead melodies and creating atmosphere. The real winner is the instrumental “Final Cosmic Warcry” which is a fantastic flurry of gripping horror synths and speedy guitarwork. And on a minor note, the interludes are tastefully done as well. The intro and outro are pure dungeon synth, and “Untraversable Force” is a lovely acoustic instrumental with medieval atmosphere akin to what you’d hear from Manilla Road.
There is one very big elephant in the room however, and that is Mariela Muerte’s clean singing. Her harshes sound great, but dear lord she sounds awful when she sings. Her tone lacks any form of beauty and her melodies are bland at best and utterly lifeless at worst, some of the most blatant offenders being the verses in “Ancient Powers That Be,” the chorus in “Goregantuan” (truly emphasizing the gore part of its title), and whoever thought it’d be a good idea to have her sing a ballad part in “Feral.” Faethom embraces the 80s in more ways than one, which unfortunately includes the trend of awful singing. I was tearing my ears out over the production too at first, but I’ve since warmed up to its deliberate old school style, though I warn you that it won’t be for everyone. Besides the bass, all instruments are clearly audible and have a comfy lo-fi charm.
To get back to my question in the introduction, I don’t think Faethom quite reach the edges of what I imagine power/black metal could be, but I also don’t think they were aiming for that. Chaosmorphogoria is an album that aims to cram in as many killer riffs and solos as possible, and lighting them up with dorky synths and some prog elements. In that regard, they mostly succeeded, but please for the love of God do not let Mariela sing again I will SCREAM.
Recommended tracks: Blackfire Star, Feral, Final Cosmic Warcry
You may also like: Malokarpatan, Stormlord
Final verdict: 5.5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Metal-Archives page
Label: Independent
Faethom is:
– Mariela Muerte (vocals, keyboards)
– David Diacrono (guitars)
– Bill Bryant (guitars)
– Evie Austin (bass)
– Brian Wilson (drums)
0 Comments