2010 Ripple Music
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is known as “The Gentle Art.” It’s one of the few combat sports that you can compete at a very high level and come away unscathed. But a skilled Jiu-Jitsu practitioner could choke you unconscious or break your limbs at will in a matter of seconds. At first glance the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu may look like two people rolling around haplessly, but taking a deeper look you slowly realize that what is happening is a complex and layered chess match. Fen is to metal, what Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is to martial arts. Their music at time seems gentle, their song structure simple, the riffing random, but with a deeper listen you begin to appreciate it’s ambient beauty, and it’s thoughtful complexity.
Some may not consider the band “metal” but that depends on what your definition of metal is. One could argue that “metal” is a mindset and not a sound, the band’s approach definitely seems to heir on the side of metal in the sense of its seriousness and morose melodies, despite the fact that there isn’t one unclean vocal on the entire album. Doug Harrison’s vocals switch between soft and whispery story telling to long painful cries that move the listener. The instrumentation at times is so sparse Harrison’s voice creeps its way into your head and shakes your soul. Just as your emotions seem to be at an all time high, a new layer of guitar or drumming is introduced to thicken the mix, but done so subtly it never feels forced.
If acoustic guitar is your thing, you’ll find plenty of it here, with the production settling just right with the mood of the album as guitarist Sam Levin plucks away and the reverberated notes thwick and thwack in your head, their echoes matching the longing in Harrison’s voice. I could go on and on about each member’s musical prowess, but the most delicious part of Trails is the moods Fen creates. The title of the record is some what ironic, because it’s not out of gloom you will go, but rather, into it. But Fen does it so wonderfully, I hardly mind.
With “progressive” rock or metal, it’s a thin line between genius, and cheesy, and Fen has definitely stayed on the right side of that line. While most people would love to jump at comparisons of 70s prog artists, it’s clear Fen has done a marvelous job of crafting a sound all their own. I love just nearly everything about this album, right down to the last note, with the closing track “In Your Arms” building the most compelling motility. Harrison’s words will haunt you, the music will swallow you up in swells of its tide, and you will slowly drown in its melancholy immensity.
Had this one popped up on our radar a little sooner, it definitely would have been in consideration for our top 10 of ’10 list.
For Fans of: Opeth, Katatonia, Agalloch, King Crimson
Stand Out Tracks: The World Is Young, Find That One, In Your Arms
Overall Rating: 8.25 out of 10
