Forming in 2010 German quartet Fagus is a band that is driven by a particular vision that is unbound by the constraints and trends around them. Their debut album, after ten years of intense preparation (Inter), is an intense cohesive piece that merges the ambient with uncompromising black metal.
The six tracks are bound by the thread of man’s role in nature and space and the relevance of human thought in an endless and cold universe. The result is, at times, a haunting piece of work that is disassociated and, at times, disconnected from the boundaries of reality that defies the realm of normal consciousness whilst being the counterpoint to the genuine emotions of love and fear.
The amount of time invested in this record is apparent on the first listen. Every moment is well thought out and constructed beautifully, the dynamics are rich, and the ambience creates a floating ethereal effect that whilst at times beautiful, is haunted and almost claustrophobic with its space, lonely yet filled with threatening thoughts that create its personality. Every track is its lengthy exploration and fearless, the drone of the tremolo picking creates a similar effect to the keyboards whilst the tempos range from blistering aggression to a slower, dreamlike state that makes full use of both the brutal and the sublime. If there is a quibble, it’s a small one. Whilst the vocals are suitably extreme, they are sometimes a little one-dimensional when the track demands a little more.
Highlights are the beautifully heavy ‘’Jenseits des Höhenzugs’’ and the journey that is ‘Tyche.
” Inter is a reflection of the band’s freedom and true creative spirit.
It is dark, brutally heavy and yet also powerful, emotive and vast in its scope and wonder, leaving a lasting impression on the psyche.
Fagus Facebook
Release Year: 2023
Label: Silent Future Recordings
Category: Album
Country: Germany
Reviewed by Sparky
