FARSOT

First of all, do not read the title of FARSOT's debut full-length as indicating anything related to the number four. It is simply four lines (as you'll note on the cover) each with symbolic meaning to the band and its music. As if you cared, right? Anyway, the Germans put in a performance on "IIII" that is quite masterful in the way the alternately neck-wrecking and majestic black metal is woven into a progressive whole, ending up one of the more pleasant surprises of the genre this year. It also happens to be one of several black metal albums released by Germany's Prophecy Productions that hits the quality mark head-on.

With lyrics sung entirely in German (and fittingly so),a concept based on human emotions like hatred and grief, and a very strong production that is more polished than usual for the style (and which sounds fantastic) from DARK FORTRESS' V. Santura, "IIII" is an interesting and relatively unique enterprise. Even the names of the members aren't your garden variety black metal monikers. You'll find no one called Vomitous Erectus or Sathanas Goat Fuckus; instead you get guitarist 3818.w or drummer R 215I, to name just two of the five members. But I digress… again.

Musically, the songs are driven with a high octane engine that combines blasting fury, cold airy bits, exceptionally good BM guitar melodies, and the commanding vocals of 10.XIXt. Here again, I couldn't imagine his lyrics being sung in any other language; it would damage the songs' effectiveness. In addition to the smart use of pace changes and compositional twists, there are some great riffs on this album, including a particularly cool one during "Hass – Angst".

Serving as a kind of break, the choral vocal effects on the "Tod – Trauer" interlude slows the pulse in anticipation of the album's 20-minute epic masterpiece "Thematik: Trauer". It is one of the more impressive pieces of music I've heard in black metal over the past few years. The flow is impeccable: buildups, slow downs, arrangement shifts, the beautiful piano segment, the guest guitar solo from V. Santura, and the general ambience of the track, it all adds up to a magnificent composition. It is the capstone to an album that is a breath of fresh air in a dense and stifling black metal jungle.