Faruln – Anti Spirit

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Hailing from Sweden and formed in 2014, their EPK came to me blank, so I had to turn to the Metal Archives to get what little information I could find about the band. This is their debut album, and contains eight tracks. “Nethermost” opens the album. It begins with a rich FWOBM sound of blasting guitars and drums and harsh vocals. From there, it settles into a slower groove. Tones of woe and depression linger, with a harrowing sound. “The Barren Rage of Death’s Eternal Cold” is a shorter and faster-moving song, again thick with elements from the FWOBM. Although the sound is scary, I am not quite sure what other things the band is going for on the album.

“Under Blackened Skies” feature a similar sound, of a low, steady lumbering sound of desperate Black Metal. Through three songs so far, there isn’t much variation at all. “Descent to the Underworld” begins with at least a different key, but not much diversity in sound. I have to question artists who do this…do they think fans won’t be able to tell the difference as long as the sound is “brutal?” “Night of Woe” is another slow song that bleeds despondence and hopelessness. These are no doubt great qualities in Metal music, but when you hear them the same through eight tracks, it gets old quickly.

“The Throes of Rebirth” is, you guessed it, another slow, depressing song about what, I am not sure. At this point, I think it’s safe to say that BTSM is not interested in bring any diversity to the table with this album, but rather sticking to the sound that was created decades ago. The title track is a very short song that leaves the listener with more questions than answers. What is the purpose of this one-minute interlude, without much sound at all? “All for Nought” closes the album. The is a little variation from brief ambient passages but, unfortunately, it’s more of the same.

This album was a painful listen for the most part. All eight songs had a very similar sound and pace, and I will never understand how bands can continue to do this and keep any fans. File this under “hopeless” unfortunately.

Songwriting: 1
Musicianship: 4
Memorability: 1
Production: 6