Review Summary: Fer De Lance doubles down on a masterful epic metal blend
What better way for a band to double down on their chosen style than by opening their sophomore album with a near thirteen-minute long song devoted to it? Fires On The Mountainside’s title track is indeed a colossus, continuing to showcase Fer De Lance’s blend of doom, folk, and blackened tinges under an epic metal banner. The atmosphere has that mix of otherworldly wistfulness, the the guitars go between bright fanfare and weaving acoustics, the drums are driven by mid-tempo triumph, the jovial vocals have enough of a snarl to them, and the pacing has enough of a gradual balance to not feel too dragged out.
Subsequent songs maintain that splendor even when coming in shorter marathons and one can see the band taking additional steps to refine their formula. The presentation feels cleaner and their folk-prog aspects get even more chances to shine between even more time devoted to acoustic passages and seemingly every track including some sea shanty-ready backing vocals, arguably reaching their peak on “Children Of The Sky And Sea.” While this has the result of losing a bit of that feral quality seen on 2022’s The Hyperborean, it also speaks to their growing chemistry as a fuller lineup.
The songwriting also does well in maintaining that narrative ebb and flow quality throughout. You won’t see too many blasting segments this time around but I do appreciate how tracks like “Ravens Fly (Dreams of Daidalos)” and “Fire & Gold” stay pretty upbeat and breezy, especially when the latter is so defined by folky strums without falling into full-on balladry. “Death Thrives (Where Walls Divide)” and “Feast of Echoes” also stand out for applying a darker menace to the proceedings, the former staying close to a doom foundation while the latter comes closest to fast extremes.
Overall, Fer De Lance shows continued mastery over their epic metal blend with Fires On The Mountainside. It’s the sort of album that doesn’t differ too drastically from its predecessor, boasting an identical aura and songwriting tropes, but the formula is a bit easier to feel out with more pronounced melodicism and more integrated playing. As much as I miss The Hyperborean’s slightly rawer edge, their sense of scope remains uncontained. Anybody with a taste for Manowar, Bathory, or Atlantean Kodex is bound to have a good time here.
