Föhn - Condescending

Angry Metal Guy 70

2024 hasn’t been the greatest year for doom thus far save for Crypt Sermon’s massive missive. I find myself largely swimming in the death and trad swamps, but I crave big, molar-rattling doom to round out my unhealthy listening regime. Fortunately, Greek funeral doom act Föhn have arrived to help with their mammoth debut Condescending. Borrowing from acts like Esoteric and Ataraxie, Föhn deliver monolithic long-form compositions of lumbering grimness with enough sheer mass to crush a steel factory. But rather than merely recycle the same old sounds, the band adds their own unique flair by incorporating manic, unhinged saxophone blasts that sound like they escaped from a Sigh album only to get locked in the Gimp Box in Imperial Triumphant’s sax dungeon. There are plenty of the expected doom tropes present, but the dark jazz element provides interesting textures, sometimes nightmarish, other times soothing, and always atmospheric. The result is an album that feels familiar yet alien enough to intrigue and keep you anxiously awaiting further developments.

In a show of ball-cocky bravado, Condescending opens with the nearly 14-minute “Bereft,” and trust me when I tell you that you’ll remember your time spent with this rampaging beast. This is gargantuan doom designed to convey a sense of existential dread, and it does so with crushing, abrasive riffs that show no mercy. Running over the top of the guitar are schizophrenic sax lines that scream and caterwaul like demons from the Ninth Level of Hell. It makes for an unsettling soundscape but as the song lurches forward, the traditional doom idioms gain prominence, and earth-shaking death roars guide you deeper into the void. Subtle melodic interludes break up the death march here and there and eventually, the sax returns to provide a melancholic and poignant counterpart to the 50-ton riffs. It’s all highly effective and emotionally evocative. This may well be the Doom Song o’ the Year. Not to be outdone easily, “A Day After” opens with ominous ambient droning and the sounds of children playing, creating cognitive dissonance and a sense of dread before the riffs arrive to oppress you with suffocating mass. Subdued, minimalist melodic strumming provides a brief respite from the monolithic riffs and cavernous, reverb-heavy death roars, and though it’s very much the classic funeral doom sound and style, Föhn execute it very well without relying on the wild card saxophone for texture this time. It’s just you and them in a dank, dark space for 13-plus minutes and it will damage your calm.

17-minute mega-closer “Persona” uses harrowing soundbites of a woman discussing the nightmarish underworld of drug addiction and sex trafficking, overlaid with sounds of women crying and screaming, undergirded with guitar lines that remind me of Headshrinker’s massive Callous Indifference. To say it’s impactful damns it with faint praise. Later, the sax returns to add noir-esque atmosphere, forlorn and downtrodden. While Condescending is intensely gripping, it’s a lot to digest in one sitting at a portly 57-plus minutes. It’s easy to get drawn into the world Föhn creates and lose track of time, but there’s ample room for trimming and tightening. “The Weight of Nothing” is good and more urgent than its brethren, but it doesn’t contain enough inspiration to cover all its 12-plus minutes. Whacking a few minutes off the closer would be helpful too. Excess padding aside, I can’t say enough about the mixing/mastering courtesy of Greg Chandler of Esoteric. The sound is deep and vibrant with the heavy riffs feeling so damn massive and the drums feeling warm and organic. This thing sounds great as it pushes you toward a psychotic break.

Georgios Schoinianakis handles guitar and drums and does an impressive job with both. His riffing is powerful and punishing, using dissonance as a cudgel. His minimalist melodic flourishes play good cop here, allowing faint rays of light in this vast ocean of darkness and despair. New Ocean of Grief vocalist Nicos Vlachakis delivers a monumental performance with thunderous death roars and growls that feel primal and foundational. He’s used somewhat sparingly but he electrifies the material with his sub-basement doom booming. The saxophonist responsible for so much of the atmosphere and raw emotion is uncredited, which is a damn shame. The playing on “Bereft” is simply awe-inspiring and deserves accolades.¹ To the band’s credit, the sax element isn’t overused or made gimmicky. It’s there when needed and packs a punch way above its weight.

Condescending is a highly accomplished debut taking classic funeral doom templates and adding just enough innovation to stand out. It flirts with greatness and great moments are indeed present, but bloat and the occasional underdeveloped idea deprive Föhn of a higher score. Get ears on this and feel the pain of human existence.



Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Hypaethral Records
Websites: bandcamp.com/album/condescending | facebook.com/foehnofficial
Releases Worldwide: August 23rd, 2024

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