Band:	Fires In The Distance
Album:	Echoes From Deep November
Style:	Death doom metal, Melodic doom metal
Release date:	September 18, 2020
A review by:	omne metallum

01. The Climb
02. Elusive Light
03. The Lock And The Key
04. Reflections In The Ice
05. Chained To The Earth
06. Sundial

An experience that you need to take.

American melodic doomsters Fires In The Distance have been a growing concern for a few years and etch the first notch on their belt with the release of their debut album Echoes From Deep November (released in September as you would expect with that title), one that passed by my radar with the release of teaser track "The Climb" a few months prior. Given that I'm more a fan of up-tempo music, I can say that the band certainly appeal to more than the doom crowd with their blend of hypnotic yet crushingly heavy metal that had me hooked from the off.

To start off at the first track of the record and the song that got me hooked in the first place, "The Climb" showcases the band's sound and is the perfect introduction to those new to the band, highlighting their incorporation of synth elements (only tasteful little flourishes here and there, not as a central element before you panic) alongside the traditional guitar, drum and bass. It is an engrossing listen and one that will hold your attention, flooding your curiosity so that you are compelled to hear the rest of the album.

While the band do trade off slow tempos on occasion for more mid-tempo sections, they do so with purpose, each section constructed to keep the listener hooked and give each track a level of depth and ebb-and-flow that lets the song rise and fall while being anchored by the heavy-hitting side of the band. While I can see doom purists crying foul at the idea of this, it does at least make the trade off worth it as the band make the leap without falling short. "The Lock And Key" is a solid example of this, with the song picking up in tempo as the it progresses, portraying a sense of progress as the song unfolds before you.

"Elusive Light" is a journey of a track that sees the band weave in passages from Christopher Hitchens and paints a picture that marries the lyrics to the music, evoking a level of introspection while drawing a world for you to look through. While this is not unique to the band, Fires In The Distance do it well enough that they are pulling their own weight rather than sitting on the coattails of those who have done so before them.

The incorporation of synth elements is performed well by guitarist Savonin, who pulls double duty for the record alongside Grimaldi and Breitsprecher, who respectively balance guitar and bass alongside vocal duties as well. Rounded off by Quintin on drums, Fires In The Distance are a solid unit who join together well to compliment each other's roles and craft six well-rounded tracks, able to tackle the heavier side of the spectrum while gracing the songs with a level of light and atmosphere with equal aplomb to the benefit of the listener.

Given the band settle into a groove and never stray far from it for the duration of the record, I can see it being a love it or hate it record for anyone who listens to it; your mileage may vary depending on how much you enjoy the lane they've planted themselves in. What does help the record in this regard is that although it clocks in at 40 minutes, the songs manage to balance upon that head of a pin and sound both long yet brief so that you will be drawn in to dwell on the track without sounding like you're abandoned in it and left to find your own way out.

I would highly recommend this record as an experience to be had by anyone curious or on the fence; while I can't say with any authority that this is a great doom record, I can say that it is a great metal record and one that should hopefully put Fires In The Distance on people's radars going forwards.