Review Summary: Fairy doom coming into its own
I’m not quite sure what sets Faetooth’s ‘fairy doom’ label apart from the genre’s usual witchy business, but their sophomore album certainly doubles down on it. As with 2022’s Remnants Of The Vessel, Labyrinthine broods in atmospheric sludge by way of doomgaze ala Chelsea Wolfe and Messa. The balance of plodding chugs, airy vocals, and the dynamics between them is no doubt familiar territory but also remains immersive.
Going along with that, the songwriting isn’t quite as complicated as the title would suggest. The tracks go at a near exclusive crawl and the structures feel pretty linear, not fully conforming to the quiet-loud switch-offs but rather building methodical slow burns to explosive climaxes or supplementing predominantly heavy monsters with hazy textures. It does well to make the grooves feel even more impactful than their previous release and while it risks things seeming uniform, it gets to where the eight-plus minute “Meet Your Maker” doesn’t feel all that much longer than the others.
Fortunately there are enough standouts as to not be interchangeable, especially during the first half. The hefty chugs on “Death of Day” lend themselves well to a serpentine flow complete with a brief waltz bridge while “It Washes Over” and “Hole” are the sort of songs that live up to the former’s naming, encouraging the listener to lay down and be enveloped by the soaring swells. Elsewhere, “White Noise” shakes things up with a more pummeling riff set as “Eviscerate” and “October” serve as relative breathers while maintaining that ominous spirit.
Overall, Faetooth’s doomgaze is coming into its own with Labyrinthine. While it never gets as extravagant as something like Messa or MWWB, it never feels too bare bones and puts in the sort of personality to help its flow come out memorable. There are admittedly points where a couple songs could be trimmed or switched out for more overt outliers, but the commitment to an otherworldly ritualistic aura is unwavering.
