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Fell Voices - Untitled review



Reviewer:
9.3

20 users:
7.95
Band: Fell Voices
Album: Untitled
Release date: September 2011


01. Untitled
02. Untitled

Fell Voices is one of those underground black metal projects that creep up from time to time, drop a nuke of an album, and then disappear behind enemy lines, never to be seen again. Fortunately, these Americans have more than just a few explosives. They've got an entire arsenal of malicious droning ingenuity, and fortunately for us, it seems as though the blitzkrieg will be ongoing. Consider me shell shocked.

So who are these guys? It's a collaborative project between musicians from New York and California, Gilead Media set them up the bomb, and now all your base are belong to them. Basically.

Okay enough with the militaristic analogies. Onto the music.

Fell Voices have constructed a sound made up of traditional raw black and some subtle post-rock reinforced by a tolerable amount of melody, wandering through the plains of despair while searching for sustenance - a miserable path that leads to nowhere... nowhere... nowhere. And it leaves you there at the bottom of the pit. Of nowhere.

It's not the soft lighthearted kind of black metal a la Alcest or Fen, incorporating shoegaze or obnoxious post-rock elements into the mix, but an enticing and engaging form of "Cascadian" black metal that wears its heart on its sleeve while forcing you to dig through layers of rock before reaching the core emotions: sorrow, regret, rage, loss, confusion. All of this negativity bursts forth through the dense foundation, tunneling skyward like a tornado of pain, plaguing the rich soils of the highest heavens with all the fury of a woman scorned.

It isn't in itself a drone metal album; far from it in fact. But there are moments that tend to drag like a cigarette made by Willy Wonka, and the overall repetition between the two songs highlights the minimalism, making for a relaxing - yet formidable - listen. As soon as you feel ready to pass into oblivion, dreaming of waterfalls and wood nymphs frolicking in the distance... the grounds open up and swallow the surrounding beauty in a black pit of fiery death, Hell consuming innocence and charm in mere moments.

This helps separate Fell Voices from the rest of the atmospheric black metal bands that follow the typical slow-paced, synth-heavy, mellow formula. The balance of good and evil is more cohesive, the mixture of love and hate is more encompassing... the ethereal massage is concluded with quite a rough happy ending.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 9
Originality: 7
Production: 10





Written on 31.12.2011 by I'm total pro; that's what I'm here for.


Comments page 2 / 2

Comments: 43   Visited by: 289 users
01.01.2012 - 01:02
strade

How about an untitled band releasing untitled albums with untitled songs? I might listen to the band then. Band names are just so damn pretentious.
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My lo-fi synth project: http://luciddreamer.bandcamp.com
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01.01.2012 - 01:06
Rating: 8
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by strade on 01.01.2012 at 01:02
How about an untitled band releasing untitled albums with untitled songs? I might listen to the band then. Band names are just so damn pretentious.

http://rateyourmusic.com/release/ep/untitled_musical_project/untitled_musical_project/

Unfortunately the songs are titled.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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01.01.2012 - 01:31
strade

Written by Troy Killjoy on 01.01.2012 at 01:06

Written by strade on 01.01.2012 at 01:02
How about an untitled band releasing untitled albums with untitled songs? I might listen to the band then. Band names are just so damn pretentious.

http://rateyourmusic.com/release/ep/untitled_musical_project/untitled_musical_project/

Unfortunately the songs are titled.


Pfft. Titled songs? Commercial bullshit.
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My lo-fi synth project: http://luciddreamer.bandcamp.com
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01.01.2012 - 03:08
Rating: 8
Susan
Smeghead
I'm listening to this album for the first time while reading the review. It's a fun experience I don't often have So far in my listening I agree with what you've written. The pit of nothingness, etc, is definitely one accurate metaphor. The post-y elements are nice.. more than I was expecting I'll say, but it does set up one hell of an atmosphere. BM like this has a tendency to bore me but Fell Voices are just too mesmerizing to be boring.

Fuck the haters. Your first two sentences make perfect sense and set up the review nicely. And this doesn't feel ANYTHING like a BitterCOld review. For one thing the paragraphs are far too long for his style Stupid Ag, not paying attention again.

Fell Voices is one of the coolest band names. Just sayin.
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"A life all mine
Is what I choose
At the end of my days"
--The Gathering "A Life All Mine" from Souvenirs
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01.01.2012 - 03:11
Rating: 8
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by Susan on 01.01.2012 at 03:08
Fell Voices is one of the coolest band names. Just sayin.

Thanks Lyr, always nice to have one of the prog babes on my side.

I'm a big fan of the band name too. Fell Voices... Makes me think of the "dead men tell no tales" saying.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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01.01.2012 - 03:16
Rating: 8
Susan
Smeghead
Oooh creepy! I hadn't thought of that one. It always makes me think of Lord of the Rings when Legolas says, "there is a fell voice on the air."
----
"A life all mine
Is what I choose
At the end of my days"
--The Gathering "A Life All Mine" from Souvenirs
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01.01.2012 - 03:18
Rating: 8
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
That's probably where it's taken from. Can't believe I didn't even think of that.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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01.01.2012 - 17:41
bluegreengod
Account deleted
For the most part I couldn't possibly disagree with your taste in metal any more, but this band seems like they might be worth checking out. Always enjoy the reviews, though.
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02.01.2012 - 04:34
Void Eatress
Account deleted
Troy, y u only give positive reviews to unknown black metal bands!? ლ(ಠ益ಠლ)
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02.01.2012 - 04:41
Rating: 8
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by Guest on 02.01.2012 at 04:34
Troy, y u only give positive reviews to unknown black metal bands!? ლ(ಠ益ಠლ)

It's funny how it works out that way... I suppose it's because a lot of the big-name black metal bands attract other people (Wolves in the Throne Room for instance) or they release something not worth a positive score (Burzum for instance).
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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03.01.2012 - 00:40
Rating: 9
-DC-002-
Mastercommander
I wish I could find this someplace besides Youtube, There's a vinyl copy online but, eh, Vinyl ain't my thing.
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Coldgrits
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03.01.2012 - 00:53
Rating: 8
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by -DC-002- on 03.01.2012 at 00:40
I wish I could find this someplace besides Youtube, There's a vinyl copy online but, eh, Vinyl ain't my thing.

http://gileadmedia.bandcamp.com/album/untitled-ii
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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03.01.2012 - 11:32
Rating: 9
-DC-002-
Mastercommander
Written by -DC-002- on 03.01.2012 at 00:40

I wish I could find this someplace besides Youtube, There's a vinyl copy online but, eh, Vinyl ain't my thing.


Ah, yes, that worked beautifully. Kudos Troy, the Killjoy. The jokes on you though, the joy you've killed has only been spread
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Coldgrits
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