Fellwarden - Legend: Forged In Defiance

Angry Metal Guy

Fellwarden is the solo atmospheric black metal project of The Watcher, the vocalist and co-founder of Fen. Fen has enjoyed a solid chunk of praise over the years from the AMG council, and I myself have always regarded Carrion Skies as an exemplar of quality atmoblack. But it was not this promising pedigree that inspired me to claim Fellwarden, for I wasn’t aware of it on first contact. I was lead by my simple love for the gentler, atmospheric side of metal—a quality I’m told I share with Fellwarden’s previous reviewer, Emya. Emya did not look favorably on Wreathed in Mourncloud, Fellwarden’s previous release, citing it as dull, unmemorable yoga-metal. Perhaps a fresh set of ears is exactly what’s needed to yield a more favorable outlook on Fellwarden’s latest opus, Legend: Forged In Defiance.

As it so happens, I think Legend is Fellwarden’s best work to date. Musically, the formula is familiar both to the atmoblack genre as a whole and Fellwarden’s previous works. The blast beats, tremolos, and The Watcher’s slightly snarling growls sound, coincidentally, a lot like Fen, while the backing clean vocals construct a somber and expansive ambience similar to Saor or Sojourner. The harmonic interplay of the guitars and the vocals is very pretty, as has always been the case with Fellwarden (Fenwarden?), but what makes Legend’s music more engaging this go around is the small matter of a much more present, urgent mix. It’s the kind of production that basically unlocks the band’s potential, where the music finally sounds like it should. The guitars, previously a distant suggestion, are placed farther forward, giving them a satisfying immediacy even as the songwriting emphasizes the sweeping harmonies and the strength of Legend’s atmosphere.

On the topic of atmosphere, Legend is one of classical heroic fantasy, a tribute to the late David Gemmell’s fantasy series of the same name, and this fantastical influence translates to the music of Legend rather well, illuminating an unpleasant world that is pleasant to inhabit as a listener. Blood-soaked battlefields and pale, grassy hills are heard in the grim “Despair,” while the harmonizing guitars in “Renewed Hope” and “Desperation” exude a lonely, mountainous chill. There is a real richness to the atmosphere; the opening riffs of “Renewed Hope” convey the earnest masculinity of a typical sword-wielding hero, contrasting the mournful vocal harmonies of “Desperation,” “Serenity” and “Death” that illustrate the sorrow and loss inherent to a hero’s journey. The lyrics, while thematically appropriate, are a little harder to take seriously. Granted, I know the source material is the literary equivalent to a Boris Vallejo painting, but choice lines like “he needs to be able to know that he is a man” (“Renewed Hope”) or “a man must pass something on, otherwise he is useless” (“Death”) can’t help but induce eye rolls.

Rich though the atmosphere is, it’s typically more in the background as a foundation for the music to build upon. But the opener “Exultance” strikes the perfect balance between atmosphere and music in a way that heightens them both, and it dominates my recollection of the album. The melodies have an invigorating Highlander flair to them, while the subtle, vital detail of the forceful exhalation of the vocals further breathes life into that Highlander feel—it’s an exciting energy that the rest of the album sadly doesn’t follow up on. Considering Legend’s excellent production job, I wish the songs after “Exultance” leaned further into its urgency. It doesn’t help that “Exultance” is followed by “Despair,” whose grimdark baritone vocals don’t quite land and counteract the high bar set by the opener. The remainder of Legend isn’t exactly bad in comparison to “Exultance,” and it’s carried by the strength of The Watcher’s compositional ear for pleasant harmonies. But while Legend is well-composed and appealing, despite all the fantasy themes of masculinity and defiance, few moments truly excite the way “Exultance” does.

Not to outsource my reviews to our dearly departed writers, but I’d like to highlight something Emya said in her Wreathed in Mourncloud review that’s important when talking about Legend: “…Fellwarden has [not] yet released an album which lives up to their potential.” In many ways, Legend represents that potential being realized. The cleaner production enriches the music and allows the fantastical atmosphere to be enjoyed in all its nuance. However, an exciting song like “Exultance” demonstrates that there are depths to Fellwarden’s potential yet unplumbed. I look forward to what Fellwarden does next.

Rating: Good!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320kbps
Label: Eisenwald
Websites: facebook | bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: June 14th, 2024

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