Firtan - Ethos

Angry Metal Guy

Some revered Firtan’s Okeanos as the new age of black metal, but many of us were more skeptical. Some pointed to the pagan texture translated through a modern lens, while others, like the gone-but-unforgotten Akerblogger, critiqued the overload of ideas with little substance to chew on. I found that 2022’s Marter was an easy 4.0 on first listens, but its novelty wore off by the time AOTY’s rolled around—a punishing and bulletproof black metal album, but ultimately too safely constructed by the time its lengthy hour concluded for the longevity I so wished it had. Two years later we greet the epic Ethos.

Ethos is another honing of Firtan’s trademarks. The pagan black metal influence is still intact with bouncy 6/8 rhythms. At the same time, blazing guitars offer chugging and tremolo picking aplenty, with wild drumming to boot and Phillip Thienger’s manic shrieks and wails, overcast by Klara Bachmair’s haunting violin. Violin stands out as a more prominent asset, in fact, offering Ethos a more atmospheric feel than in previous incarnations, resulting in the most epic and memorable album of the act’s career. However, it remains a mixed bag of quality, with some songs SOTY-caliber in epic atmospheres and crushing performances and others coming up short in monotonous fallout. Thus, Firtan’s shot at greatness falls just short.

Ethos by Firtan

It’s hard to deny Firtan’s effectiveness when a sweet balance of layered execution finds alignment. Ethos kicks off with one of the strongest tracks – perhaps in their career. “Hrenga” is a haunting seven-and-a-half minute opus magnum, balancing mammoth chugging guitars with downright infectious violin overtures, interspersed by vicious and climactic tremolo passages. This spirit is carried throughout the album’s fifty-one-minute runtime, with tracks like “Zores,” “Moloch,” and “Komm herbei, schwarze Nacht” hitting the sweet spot of chuggy heft, razor-sharp blackened bale, and violin’s ghostly tones to an epic and driving degree. The more subdued tracks find Bachmair’s violin taking more center stage, with “Arkanum” and “Ruakh” providing a lurking horror beneath the slower tempos and overlaying strings. The piano-led instrumental conclusion “Wenn sich mir einst alle Ringe schließen” does a good job capping off a solid album with a worthy melody and gentle movements into choirs and strings. Violin acts as a ghostly tendril, avoiding the decadent bombast of the “symphonic black metal” label, adding to its enigma. As usual, Thienger’s performance is a barnstormer, the expected blackened shrieks maintaining an animalistic edge that descends into wails and growls as he guides the proceedings with nearly sermonic charisma. Likewise, drummer David Kempf seamlessly morphs from funereal plods to blastbeats to morbid marches, the snare feeling appropriately thunderous, always audible and supportive through Firtan’s busy palette.

While Firtan does a good job weaponizing tempo and rhythm for their epic aims, Ethos’ problem tracks have issues with overly enthusiastic usage of second-wave pvrity. “Wermut hoch am Firmament” and “Contra Vermes” adhere closer to the Darkthrone ’n Mayhem template in blastbeat- and tremolo-heavy passages that feel remarkably empty in comparison to the surrounding tracks, melodic motifs quickly losing their impact. The second-wave loyalty is admirable, but it can damage the tracks in relentless monotony when overused. Meanwhile, some inconsistencies appear: “Arkanum” features a misdirect of an intro that leads you to believe it will be a monster track when it just simmers down instead; “Zores” and “Ruakh” eventually find their footing amid the unhinged blackened attack, although listens are laborious up to their introduction.

Firtan strives for excellence, and Ethos is damn close. While “Hrenga,” “Moloch,” and “Komm herbei…” are some of the best tracks of the quintet’s discography, others fall short of the standard through its enthusiastic and unhinged second-wave tremolo-and-blastbeats formula. Ethos is carefully constructed, just on this side of too long, has moments of utter brilliance, and is consistently enjoyable and powerfully evocative of its warfaring artwork. It feels like swords pointed at our throats, dangerous and galloping across a battlefield in ensured victory, and I am so here for it.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: AOP Records
Websites: firtan.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/firtanofficial
Releases Worldwide: September 13th, 2024

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