Review Summary: High-energy, sonically-diverse black metal
Firtan’s 2018 LP
Okeanos is, for me, one of those albums which, for all its considerable merits, is most notable as a display of immense potential. Hailing from southwestern Germany, the band provided a slab of fierce but still accessible black metal, while hinting at a more wide-ranging palette with various folkier moments. It was the latter excursions which really caught my attention, suggesting that Firtan had in them a future effort which would bring everything together into a masterpiece transcending their primary genre.
Now, here comes the follow-up, entitled
Marter. Generally following in the footsteps of
Okeanos, the band has now embraced an even grander vision and a broader musical scope. Even the runtime demonstrates increased ambition: nearly an hour here compared to its predecessor’s forty minute duration. All told,
Marter isn’t a perfect record, but it’s a strong statement of intent which builds upon the band’s existing strengths.
As a more-or-less atmoblack album with an expansive runtime, it’s important for Firtan to mix things up to keep things engaging, and that they do well. The album’s eight tracks are remarkably wide-ranging, even if most can broadly be considered fast-paced black metal with both melodic and paganistic tendencies. Early highlight “Amor Fati” sprawls towards the ten-minute mark, fusing folky strumming and ambient breaks with triumphal black metal. Meanwhile, “Labsal” encases a stretch of full-on moody dark folk within a metallic shell, and “Parhelia” incorporates ominous spoken word alongside weeping violin passages. Following the flashy guitar solos of penultimate track “Menetekel”, closer “Peraht” brings forth a driving black metal anthem which concludes fittingly in an extended outro delving deep into neoclassical and folk stylings. As a climactic moment, it’s sublime, summoning the feeling of natural grandeur which so many artists in Firtan’s field strive for.
All the above is to say that
Marter isn’t your run of the mill black metal release, even if it doesn't truly carve out its own space like, say, Agalloch’s finest works. Comparisons might be drawn to Firtan’s countrymen Der Weg Einer Freiheit, particularly their latest album
Noktvrn, although
Marter hews a bit closer to genre conventions and isn’t as overwhelmingly melodic. I get the sense that Firtan will continue to diversify their sound, and that the best is still yet to come. For all that, though, living in the now is important, and
Marter is a lovely record with plenty of nuance and variety to explore. It’s well-recommended.
