Review Summary: Released through Prophecy Productions
Wednesday, August 26th, 2026. 11:00am. An almighty roar is heard from above the mountain, leaving barely any time to react. That Fen have inadvertently prophesied this nightmare when preparing the first reading from the book of “Elemental” is freakish - but not as freakish as the Nepalese flash flood itself. In the days following the release of “Elemental Part One: Mourning Earth”, the events of the album have manifested as a horrifying reality, the ultimate display of life imitating art. Like the Himalayan disaster of a few days ago, Fen predicted that a “Glacier” collapse caused by a “Tectonic” shift in the “Massif” would send down a raging torrent, carving out an “Abyssal Plain” of destruction, burying all before it beneath a “Barrow” and destroying every riverside crop and “Moor”. How could Fen have known? Of course they couldn’t, but nevertheless have intuitively tapped into the clash of climate change and the force of nature, a “Mourning Earth”.
Framing the record musically to the events of not even a week ago draws even more disturbing parallels. “Glacier” sets the scene with the ancient spiritual whispers of the mountains building with a devastating intensity to a final drum-rolled snap and deluge. Rumbling tremolos shape “Tectonic”, wreaking havoc down the “Massif”, a cerebral haunting that carries a “Carrion Skies” quality that stands as the centerpiece of “Mourning Earth”. The gentle segue into “Abyssal Plain” and cascading organic violence offers proof that 20 years into their tenure, Grungyn, Theutus and The Watcher have mastered reflective and melancholic atmospheric black metal. The technical riffing of “Barrow” is another mark of a band that has a point to prove, a story to tell, or foretell as it has eerily unfolded. The first installment of “Elemental” is bound by “Moor” in a survey of the mud as survivors are sought and hopefully existential lessons of the planet are taught. Above all we pray for those unable to escape the unimaginable waters and pause to reflect on the sad and desperate events in Nepal of Wednesday, August 26th, 2026.
