It's quite amazing how much staying power black metal has had. What seemed like a very isolated scene in Norway that built upon the wider first wave movement has pretty much exploded into one of the most innovative subgenres of metal. And maybe that's relative, considering that there's a finer resolution to how much black metal needs to change for it to feel unique, and maybe we hold other genres to higher standards. And listening to Fyrnask I have conflicting feelings. It both sounds like a lot of black metal I've already heard, but also they don't sound exactly like anything out there. It's such a fine line that they managed to walk that they're doing something that is minimally unique. I mean, it's black metal with an ambient ritualistic vibe, but with a pretty dynamic songwriting as well.
Nothing of what I described should make Fyrnask stand out that much. There's touches that seem to indicate some The Ruins Of Beverast or some Blut Aus Nord or even Urfaust, but it seems like the more lowkey way that Fyrnask approach the ritualistic angle brings them a lot closer to the usual atmospheric black metal bands. That isn't to say that they're a usual atmospheric black metal band, far from it, as they manage to play around with the sound in a way that clearly transcends its limitations. If you can guess by the album's title, this is the band's seventh release, and even though not all of those seven were full length studio releases, this still clearly pinpoints to a band that has polished its approach.
And within the framework of black metal, they manage to go for the ambient ritualistic moments, the textured atmospheres, the whirlwhind of riffs, the mellow section, and vocals that range from chants to cleans to whispers to shrieks and all of it feels natural. VII - Kenoma's strengths don't necessarily lie just in its range, but also how organically it ebbs and flows within the different elements it approaches. Since black metal has long had a penchant for acoustic or ambient sections, having these feel so thoughtfully integrated within the music, to the point where it feels they have a relatively equal and justified presence next to the black metal sections. This is black metal that uses the full spectrum of its capabilities. Ok, maybe not all of it, but you get the point.
However none of the parts of that range are really really pushed in a way to truly set the album apart and to be more than just incredibly dynamic and competent.
