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Firtan - Niedergang review




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Reviewer:
7.5

14 users:
7.86
Band: Firtan
Album: Niedergang
Release date: May 2014


01. Intro
02. Angst
03. Hypnos & Thanatos
04. Firtan
05. Zwischen Wahn Und Sinn
06. Seelenfänger
07. Wogen Der Trauer
08. Oneiros
09. Huckup

Jesus, "epic" black metal is a sad little world sometimes. Having an uncomfortable amount of synthesizers crammed down your throat is lauded while thoughtful song writing is thrown to the wind. It's nice to hear bands like Firtan still giving a shit about their music.

Most notably, Firtan generally use good taste when it comes to infusing all the folky-orchestral elements into their black metal. What's most impressive is that they seem to always remember that, underneath everything, they are still a black metal band. All the raw fury and chaos is present and at the forefront. The symphonics, accoustic guitars, harp synthesizers and all the other bells and whistles are used to bolster the massive, truly epic atmosphere, without masking the melancholic, depressive overtones of the traditional black metal sound.

...And then they start to get carried away. Niedergang really has an arc-like trajectory when it comes to quality and consistency. The start of the album is almost pure black metal, so much so that the barely audible synthesizers seem completely unnecessary. By the time the eponymous track "Firtan" kicks in, they find balance. The "epic" sounds really click into place, becoming an integral part of the music without it becoming a crutch. From there it seems the focus turns to synthesizers, falling victim to the same issue so many bands of this sub-sub-genre do. While Niedergang still remains a well planned, well written album until the end, the flagrant abuse of cheesy synths can make it a difficult listen at certain points.

Firtan isn't necessarily the most consistent band you'll hear this year, but the actual thought put into the assembly and execution of this type of music makes Niedergang an album worthy of at least a spin or two.





Written on 13.09.2014 by Former EIC. Now just a reviewer guy.



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