Album Review: Firtan – Helios
Reviewed by Oli Gonzalez
Black metal. A genre full of pretenders and wannabe’s. Every now and then though, a band comes along and shakes the very fabric of the genre to the core and breathes invigorating new life into it!
Enter Firtan!
Hailing from the deepest, darkest depths of Germany – a hotbed and breeding ground for quality black metal – Firtan unveil their 5th album “Helios” via AOP Records. A label that’s handled the releases of Ellende, Heretoir, Finsterforst, and many others within the last year or so. Now Firtan can join that lineage!
Just listening to “Helios” makes you think that Firtan have observed the black metal masses, and walked in the opposite direction in crafting an instantly recognisable sound. Forget the numerous references to Satan that became boring in the late 90s and mindless blast beats. Firtan’s sound is composed of multiple layers that’s as complex as it is challenging. The rhythmic foundations are set in a tighter, more bludgeoning series of grooves, though drummer David can up the ante when required and send the BPM count well over 200 with a series of vicious double kick rallies. When joined by bassist Oliver, the rhythm section is locked in and the thunderous rumble acquired, like during ‘Ambrosia’.
Phillip leads the vocal attack not in a series of KVLT shrieks, but rather a much deeper demonic growl! Sounds standard right? Well this is where things start getting more interesting. He’s joined by violin player and backing vocalist Klara, whose calming resonance provides a wonderful beauty and the beast style, and allows you to fully appreciate the bleak darkness and intensity of the music. She adds a sense of urgency and emotional weight to the already intense and infernal atmosphere, especially in songs like ‘Solis Currus’. Here, the band demonstrates an understanding of atmospheric music and building tension. Heaviness doesn’t always come from overwhelming your listeners with crushing tones and all-out fury. No, you need to let music breathe, sometimes with the notes you’re not playing just as important as what’s being pumped through the speakers! Firtan understand this.
Though this less is more approach doesn’t necessarily apply to the album’s overall composition. See, 63 minutes run time feels like an investment at time, especially given some songs hover well over 5 minutes, with ‘The Hierophant’ clocking in at 11:42! Nobody would be mad at Firtan for dropping a song or two. With that being said, they certainly can’t be accused of short-changing you or half-assing this record. Absolutely not! In fact, “Helios” is one of those records that rewards long term investment and listening. If you stick it out to ‘Shadows of a Dawn’, you’ll be rewarded with a wonderfully opulent number whereby the drums, bass, distorted guitars and Phillip’s growls are removed. Instead, it’s just the lush acoustic guitar melody anchoring the song’s rhythm. Klara is promoted to lead vocalist here, with her simply gorgeous voice being given all the time and attention it needs to fully shine, whilst the violin takes over as melodic focal point when she takes a break. Yes, a totally unexpected find, but I am not complaining one bit!
Now, I’m not normally a fan of covers. But when Firtan have taken a song – in this case ‘Man Of Iron’ by Bathory – and completely reimagined and reengineered it fully in their image, then they’ve won! Do as many covers as you want!
That sums up Firtan really. A band you should expect the unexpected from. Black metal fans craving something that goes against the grain and showcases a wholesome new twist on the genre will be more than satisfied with “Helios”. Firtan will satisfy any craving for intense atmospheric black metal with a folk twist!
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