FELLWARDEN

Wreathed In Mourncloud EISENWALD

Fen members turn their attention from the marshes to the mountains

With drummer Havenless now joining frontman The Watcher in Fen, Fellwarden could be viewed as an extension of that respected UKBM act. There are stylistic similarities but the evocatively titled Wreathed In Mourncloud is more downcast than the folk-imbued yet raging black metal of Fen. There’s an Agalloch-ian touch of finesse to the layering of the guitars and keyboards here – not to mention the whispered, growled, or cleanly chanted vocals – an ode to the jagged, beautific landscapes of North-west England.

But just as nature can cast rays of warming light, it can lash with downpours, and on the Scafell’s Blight

and the seething title track, Fellwarden mimic the elements’ uncertainty with floods of blasts and tremolo-picked guitarruns that can disperse momentarily, only to rain down again profoundly. ■■■■■■■■■■

FOR FANS OF: Fen, Agalloch, Weakling

DEAN BROWN