Adamantine Axes & Potent Incantations
Formed
by strong members of the traditional metal scene, Fer de Lance will
knock you from your seat with their epic blend of influences. The
trio is composed of Collin Wolf from Smoulder and Olórin, MP of
speedsters Moros Nyx and Patrick Gloeckle (Moros Nyx, Satan’s
Hallow, High Spirits...), a strong group of adventurers indeed. That
debut extended play showcased a band ready to fight for the most
lucrative and dangerous contracts available at the local tavern!
The
acoustic guitar introduction of “City in the Sea” follows by an
instant epic vocal moment proves that this band doesn’t mess
around. We get four sings all between four and six minutes. No time
to waste here, it’s compact and mighty. An approach I’d say is
similar to Italy’s classic Doomsword (where are they by the way!?
Their last album is from 2011) with their ballsy and uncompromising
attitude towards epic heavy/doom metal. Fer de Lance investigates
many eras of epic metal such as the northern shores of Quorthon’s
Sweden, the shiny rainbow of Ronnie James Dio without forgetting to
explore the deeper cuts like Scald, Solstice, Old
Season or Mael Mórdha.
MP
is a very strong vocalist with an impressive range and he’s showing
his chops here with influences ranging from Dio, Dickinson or Russell
Allen. He wrote songs to
showcase his abilities and did it very well. There’s impressive
choirs throughout the album too and it gives a sense of epic airiness
that’s both pleasing and necessary to push the band to the next
level. If you don’t lift your
fist and sing along, you might listening to the wrong style of music
for you.
The
highlight for me, besides the vocals, is definitely the interplay
between the acoustic (MP) and electric guitars (MP and Wolf). I think
I haven’t enjoyed that combination that much since Primordial’s
existence. The title track is a good example of such interactions. It
adds this Celtic folk touch to their sound and it’s just gorgeous
and interesting without ever becoming sugary or the sole focus of
their musicality. It’s
masterfully produced and recorded too, those guys know what they’re
doing and got a veteran in Collin Jordan to master the EP. It just
sounds massive.
Fer
de Lance is
perhaps the strongest
epic doom debut EP since... I don’t know? Maybe Capilla Ardiente’s
Solve et Coagula or
Atlantean Kodex’s stuff before The
Golden Bough. Now
give me a full length please! Another great signature from Cruz Del Sur, that's for damn sure.
Buy on Bandcamp
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