Band:	Föhn
Album:	Condescending
Style:	Funeral doom metal
Release date:	August 2024
A review by:	RaduP

01. Bereft
02. A Day After
03. The Weight Of Nothing
04. Persona

Not sure how many other funeral doom debuts begin with an assault of saxophones. But Föhn do it.

Föhn is another band I stumbled upon lately when deciding to review something that I didn't already have some history with. They're a Greek band, a trio more specifically, whose only relevant lineup connection I could find is sharing a vocalist with Oceans Of Grief and Shattered Hope. Even though the project started off as a duo between Nick Vlachakis, the aforementioned vocalist, and everything-elser Georgios Schoinianakis back in 2016, it seems like the band only really took shape once bassist Giorgos Miliaras joined in 2023. Though the band did release a demo version of one of the tracks from Condescending before Milaras' embarkment, and, depending on who you ask, the two minor releases since have been either EPs or promo singles for tracks from the debut full length Condescending.

Short band history aside, Condescending is pretty much the encapsulation of who Föhn are right now. The short story is that they play funeral doom metal. You know, glacial paces, low and slow growls, a lot of emphasis on ambiance, song runtimes casually going over the ten minute mark, all that jazz. But on the other hand "all that jazz" gets a bit of a double meaning this time around. I know that saxophone = jazz, therefore the inclusion of it makes this at least partially jazz inspired. I was a bit surprised to learn that there are actually two guest saxophonists on the record, one tenor and one soprano, with two tracks benefiting from their presence. There's already the assault that starts the record that sounds like a tamer and more atmospheric version of something like Eremita, but there are other moments in that track and the closer that have a bit of a dark jazz feel as a result, and their inclusion isn't overused.

At slightly under an hour, Condescending is pretty balanced by funeral doom standards, offering a filling serving of doom without going overboard. Of course that the genre itself doesn't lend itself to too much excitement for people who don't feel immersed in the sound, and that's valid for this album as well, but I find that Condescending makes it pretty easy to immerse yourself in the sound. The production, courtesy of Greg Chandler is pretty easy to immerse in; and even without the saxophone topping, the funeral doom cake is pretty versatile, at least as much as it can be within the genre. Imagine Ataraxie if you sprinkled just a little bit of a mellower atmospheric melodicism (the relatively faster pace alongside the mellower break in "The Weight Of Nothing") or an even more despondent despair (the samples in "Persona") occasionally alongside the very evocative gloom (the ominous dirge of "A Day After").

In the end, I couldn't really write a condescending review about a hairdryer, but I'll settle for a very impressive funeral doom debut.