Fell Omen - Caelid Dog Summer

Angry Metal Guy

Raw black metal is a tricky proposition. There’s an extremely thin line to walk between production choices designed to add mood and atmosphere to compositions via a wall of auditory fog and production choices that sound like someone threw their equipment down a block of concrete stairs and deemed it “artistic.” Countless one-man projects launch all the time to throw their hat in the ring with the Black Cilices and Paysage D’hivers of the world, with results ranging from formidable to unlistenable. Hailing from Greece, Fell Omen are newcomers to this arena, with their second album dropping a meagre six months after their first. Such a rapid turnaround implies either a deep creative well or a collection of kiddie-pool shallow ideas, so let’s dive in and see what these dog summer days have to offer.

How raw is raw? Caelid Dog Summer sounds most comparable to …Eternal Hails era Darkthrone. Everything is naturally underproduced, but only just-so, with a clarity in the instruments so all can be heard without sounding shimmery and polished. This gives the sound palate of Fell Omen a punkish and suitably rough-hewn style which suits the somewhat simplistic riff stylings of “Poise On Rune” without swinging into treble-tearing subwoofer-blowing ugliness. The raw-as-atmosphere is elsewhere emphasized in the beautiful runs littered across “Northern Lights Bomb,” where the warbling under-production adds to the piercing melodies without burying them in a haze of noise. While perhaps not quite ugly enough to be straight Cherd bait, Caelid Dog Summer manages to stick the landing with a production which qualifies for the genre label while being clear enough to let its moments of triumph and mood shine through.

Caelid Dog Summer by Fell Omen

As for the mood, the name of the game is fun.¹ Fell Omen have assembled a collection of songs into fist-pumping, coke-snorting, beer-swigging sounds of grandeur and delight in complete defiance of stereotype. “Starscourge Phase One & Phase Two” kicks in the doors with straightforward assault which is almost Motörhead-ed in its enthusiasm and glee, with major chord progressions and solos that sound ripped from old school heavy metal trappings in their melodic noodlage and drunkenly shredded exuberance. “The Horrors Persist But So Does Steel” is a short, straightforward whip-cracking assault with some medieval-tinged melodies reminiscent of Godkiller. Those aural fingerprints, as well as the atmospheres of a much more streamlined Obsequiae result in a listen which manages to sound like its lifted from the world of our exhausted knight in not-so-shiny armor without losing its own sense of identity in the process.

Performances are enthusiastic, and while never anything complicated enough to be considered techy, they are delivered with skill. Sole member “Spider of Pnyx” delivers one solo after another without ever devolving into guitar-hero wankery. Closing track “The Fire is Still Warm” pumps the brakes on the tempo at last for a proper album finale, though it does take a little long getting the point across. Other than a few riffs across the album being stretched longer than they need to, songs come complete with identity and personality, well-arranged from atmospheric transitions to quick bursts of energy before collapsing back into a drunken bar brawl solo. His vocals are also excellent, not drowning the music in a blanket of voice but adding emphasis to groove and riff alike with a pitch like he was raised on a steady diet of extra coarse sandpaper. This care in assembly from beginning to end allows the sub-half-hour run time to feel perfect, as the album arrives, says its peace, raids your liquor cabinet, and runs off into the night before you can saddle your nearest horse.

Suffice to say, I’ve had a great time with Caelid Dog Summer. A defiant middle finger to the well-established trope of “No Mosh No Trends No Fun”, Fell Omen have crafted a platter worthy of triggering mosh, bringing back the trend of sexy lads in shining armor, and absolutely oodles of fun. That the album does so without ever devolving into self-parody or trying its hand at out EVILLLLLLing² genre mates is worthy of commendation. The fact that it also manages to nail the balance between raw atmosphere and approachability elevates it from a simple fun listen to a truly delightful experience. Go grab some beer and dive into the last days of this truly dogged summer.

Rating: 3.5/5
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: True Cult Records
Website: Official Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: August 15th, 2025

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