Band:	Fell Voices
Album:	Regnum Saturni
Style:	Ambient black metal
Release date:	March 25, 2013
A review by:	Troy Killjoy

01. Flesh From Bone
02. Emergence
03. Dawn

Either Hell has frozen over or pigs are flying because Fell Voices finally released an album with song titles!

Jokes and personal biases aside, Regnum Saturni is a "next logical step" kind of release. It makes perfect sense why this trio focused more heavily on the drone elements of their sound, complementing them with a lo-fi brand of atmospheric black metal, rather than just following the path of so many "Cascadian black metal" bands before them. It makes perfect sense because they avoid trying to sound too much like their 2011 release while also avoiding that whole "been there, done that" style of black metal. Yet, they never lose their distinctive touch.

Of course, this isn't exactly what one would call avant-garde or experimental, but it definitely provides bits and pieces of ingenuity laced throughout what would otherwise be simple, minimalist music. The warm post-rock vibes of this album's predecessor have been replaced with cold, mechanical drone segments, which are stifled by a seemingly restrictive production style that further emphasizes the band's apparent indifference towards its audience.

While the album and song titles may be a welcome change, Regnum Saturni still gives fans a sense of familiarity. Three tracks are responsible for delivering over 60 minutes of music, meaning you can expect long, drawn out drone sequences and repetitive, atmospheric riffing. Unfortunately the level of repetition is on the higher side, so if you don't like how things are going after "Flesh From Bone", don't anticipate a massive change in sound that will somehow captivate you.

Even at their most accessible, Fell Voices aren't exactly renowned for producing easy-listening material. That holds true with this release, although comparatively it comes across as slightly less passionate than the band's previous works - most likely due to the more prevalent drone in their sound. So if you like challenging music, lo-fi black metal, the repetitive nature of drone, and incredibly lengthy tracks that rely on an industrial-esque atmosphere, you should familiarize yourself with this album. Don't worry if that's not your thing - you could always spend your time trying to shoot a flying pig.