Feskarn - Raven's Sky

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FESKARN is a one-man project with its roots deeply planted in the folk-metal, Viking-metal, and electronic music genres. Hailing from Uppsala, Sweden, the band recently released its newest album, "Raven's Sky," released in a standard version and double-CD limited edition. The limited-edition version contains a plethora of previously unreleased and remastered tracks.

On "Raven's Sky," FESKARN combines various Viking metal components with guttural black metal-esque vocal stylings, shamanic drumming, and somehow even mouth harps. Ethereal choirs add a unique depth and character traits to his music. The fingerprints of NIKLAS LARSSON's electronic background are visible throughout the album's run time. It's difficult not to use the word experimental folk when trying to categorize FESKARN's musical stylings. The sound is a veritable cacophony of diverse influences that somehow always manage to return to a well-executed mix of blackened power, folk, and black metal, complete with seemingly infinite complexities.

The album's second track, "Broken World," begins with lightning-quick synth-work. With the guitar exercising a more elaborate lead line, still, it's the drums that steal the show here. LARSSON's ability to capture a death-metal vocal rumble is only outdone by his power to bestow a deep sense of emotion on the listener. Taking on a ghostly requiem ambiance, the third track, "Sigur," is riddled with ominous symphonic variants and trademark Viking metal-style drums. Just a few of the many things this song brings to the Vallahalan table. Forth on "Raven's Sky" is "Vägen framåt" which offers intense vocals and a sensation of foreboding that feels deliciously sinful. Wicked and rough in all the right spots, the background vocals are from somewhere out in the abyss.

The fifth track, "Parasite," once again fuses death metal and electronic melodies while still creating imagery in the listener's mind, whether they like it or not. The whistling is an exciting addition, and it sets the stage for an all-out journey into the unknown. Folk metal meets numerous influences here, producing genuinely unique songs. "Livets Tid" is an epic track that offers harsh vocals over emotionally charged electronica keyboards. The guitar work is subtle, with the song's focus on the synths and vocal change-ups.

Electronica flows freely through the twelfth track, "The Frost of the Fallen." With heavier vocals than on previous tracks, "The Frost of the Fallen” is a favorite for this reviewer, as it offers a wide and varied range of genres and instrumentation, all with a black metal edge. LARSSON is talented in creating imagery in the listener's mind and can fuse genres in unexpected places and achieve positive results. A solid offering for the genre, FESKARN's latest album is worth a listen.

Songwriting: 7
Musicianship: 6
Memorability: 5
Production: 6