Fer De Lance - Fires On The Mountainside - review
Fer De Lance - Fires On The Mountainside - review
Band
Fer De Lance Release date
June 27, 2025 Tracklist
01. Fires On The Mountainside02. Ravens Fly (Dream Of Daidalos)
03. Death Thrives (Where Walls Divide)
04. Fire & Gold
05. The Feast Of Echoes
06. Children Of The Sky And Sea
07. Tempest Stele
A review by
AndyMetalFreak July 08, 2025
Fer De Lance, formed in Chicago in 2019, has quickly risen to become one of the most promising bands in epic heavy/doom. A year after their establishment, they released an impressive debut EP titled Colossus, which was followed 2 years later by their outstanding full-length debut The Hyperborean, which really took the epic heavy metal scene by storm. On the debut, listeners embarked on an epic voyage into the ancient Northern lands known in Greek mythology as Hyperborea, and had a striking style that combined traditional heavy, doom, and folk metal in a way that showed similarities to the likes of Dio, Atlantean Kodex, Candlemass, and late-era Bathory. Now, after setting such a high benchmark for themselves, the foursome return with their anticipated sophomore Fires On The Mountainside.
The majestic cover art, painted by Albert Bierstadt in 1868, portrays the historically devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which the mighty 12-minute opening title track is based upon. Rüst (bass) and Scud (drums) lead the powerful, stampeding rhythm of this song, which resembles an army of bloodthirsty warriors galloping on horseback into battle, while MP Papai and J. Geist unleash their attack of epic heavy/doom riffs, folkish acoustic strings, and wailing solos, all containing no shortage of memorable hooks. The vocals of founding member Papai are really diverse, even more so than on the debut, and range from hair-raising epic doom singing to semi-harsh blackened shrieks, whilst accompanied by heroic warcries and backing chants. This is a truly colossal opener that's not only the highlight of the album, but arguably their best song yet. However, I find this being placed as the first song as opposed to last rather surprising, as when it draws near to a close, you just can't help but feel this isn't going to be topped for sheer epicness.
Whereas the debut had a pretty straightforward approach with regard to what the epic heavy/doom category offers, there's a touch more diversity in this album's songwriting. "The Feast Of Echoes", for instance, is not just a feast of epic folk melodies, but also covers a broad range of elements from across both the doom and heavy metal genres, throwing in blackened and folk elements along the way. If you take the word 'sky' away from "Children Of The Sky And Sea", it actually isn't a million miles from Black Sabbath's "Children Of The Sea", in the sense of how the vocals passionately wail out, especially during the chorus, in an almost Dio-inspired fashion, and also due to the way the solos have that classic Iommi effect. Then, "Tempest Stele" has a prominent Mediterranean vibe through some striking Latin guitar work, which could easily fool you into thinking this band is part of the thriving Greek heavy metal scene rather than actually being based in Chicago.
It has to take something truly special to stand out amidst the vast sea of epic heavy metal these days, and in 2022 Fer De Lance did just that with The Hyperborean. That was undoubtedly one of the most memorable releases in what was a very impressive year for the category itself, but then the next challenge is to top that; have they done so with Fires On The Mountainside? I'd say perhaps not quite, although they've certainly stepped it up a gear in terms of introducing new elements and opting for a more diverse and bolder approach in songwriting; howevr, in terms of sheer epic moments, there just aren't quite as many as were featured on the debut. I wouldn't necessarily say the album loses its momentum after the brilliant opener, but I also don't feel it reaches that same level of quality outside of a few memorable moments during the likes of "The Feast Of Echoes" and "Tempest Stele". However, this band is still new to the scene, and have already proven themselves to be a very fine act, and with two great releases back-to-back I'm now looking forward to embarking on whatever voyage lies ahead next.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 7 |
| Production: | 7 |
Written on 08.07.2025 by
Written on 08.07.2025 by
An honest review that you don't necessarily have to agree with. Comments
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Posts: 64459
Damn good review ,amazing album ,pne of the best in the game
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