Furze: The Presence

Ok, let’s get this out of the way quickly. I am no expert on the Scandinavian black metal scene so take what you will from this review. Furze hail from Trondheim, Norway and consist of only one member, Woe J Reaper (aka Christian Knapstad). On this, his seventh release titled The Presence he plays drums, guitars, bass, vocals and synths. He is also credited with engineering and production. Yes, a true DIY project.

So, what can you expect with The Presence? Well, heavy is the answer. However, you would never know that after listening to the beginning of the lead off title track. The minimalistic guitar approach seeks out Middle Eastern themes. The drums and bass are added slowly and quieter guitar lines are woven into a soundscape with heavier outbursts. The riffs are loaded with fuzzy distortion amping up the heaviness. With “The Doom� the artists true nature bubbles forth with wildly distorted extreme vocals and a thrashy/noisy riff fest. It’s a wall of heavy sound bringing forth the extreme black metal. I can’t say I am a fan of the vocals but those who regularly listen to extreme metal will know what to expect. A deep bass and drum groove punctuate “Midnight Roar�, another heavy track with disturbing vocals. The super-fast riffage in “In Blood By Metal� is absolutely insane before the doomier “Bat Cobra� takes hold with slower riff progressions interspersed with bursts of speedy tempos. Again, the vocals are incredibly harsh.

Furze is a mixed bag for me. There are some production issues (drums are sometimes buried in the mix) which is to be expected on a limited budget. The vocals are also a tough sell but those gravitating towards the style will know what they are getting into. And he does sound suitably evil so in that sense they do fit the music. Overall then, a 2.5 star release.

Track Listing:
1. The Presence
2. The Doom
3. Midnight Roar
4. In Blood By Metal
5. Bat Cobra
6. Space Scars
7. Drammadur
8. Soul’s Fire
9. Zarathustra’s Overkill
10. Home in Hell

Added: December 27th 2018
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 847
Language: english

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