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Fas

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 12 ratings

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Product details

  • Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.55 x 4.97 x 0.54 inches; 3.23 ounces
  • Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ STHL
  • Date First Available ‏ : ‎ June 1, 2007
  • Label ‏ : ‎ STHL
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000R7I2GK
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 12 ratings

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4.2 out of 5 stars
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2009
    I'm a rather casual black metal fan. There's some great stuff out there, sure, but kvlt kiddies are so obsessed with image, attitude and sundry other issues unrelated to music that you can't entirely trust their judgment. ("Transilvanian Hunger," for example, is unquestionably the worst purportedly great metal album I've ever heard.) Even worse, I'm more inclined towards atmospheric, epic USBM (Weakling, Leviathan, Wolves in the Throne Room, Krallice) than to the supposedly prime Scandinavian material. So my credibility is nonexistent. However, if there were more bands like France's Deathspell Omega, I would have to buy myself some white grease paint and a battleaxe. This is simply remarkable material, and I can think of few bands that I've been so exhilarated to discover in the past few years. Any fan of technical or progressive metal would be remiss to ignore DsO regardless of their thoughts on black metal generally. This is still black metal, I would say, but it's black metal unlike any you've heard before.

    DsO were once a typical, primitive BM band, but with the last few releases this intentionally mysterious collective evolved dramatically. "Fas -- Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum" could roughly be described as technical, brutal, epic and atmospheric black metal. While the shrieking tremolo riffs that define BM are in evidence, DsO have set their sights higher, drawing in tech-death stylings, including careening, seemingly formless riffs, Gorguts-esque dissonance and some of the most unhinged drumming ever recorded. Moreover, while traditionalist black metal often thrives on repetition, DsO effortlessly alternate between myriad riffs and atmospheric breaks, constructing dense, unified epics and wholly avoiding the unstructured feel that mars much extreme metal. DsO now work almost entirely in epics, but the format never seems forced, and they allow a conceptual unity that is, again, rare in extreme metal. (Though divided into different tracks, "Fas" is a sufficiently cohesive that it should be listened to in its entirety if possible.)

    Apart from the atmospheric "Obombration" tracks that bookend the album, "Fas" consists of 4 central tracks spanning approximately 40 minutes. "The Shrine of Mad Laughter" is a mercilessly brutal first movement that sets the tone for the album, showcasing the flailing, howling riffs, endless blastbeats and cascading toms. (You know it's a vicious track when the dissonant, odd-time break comes as a relief.) The metallic sections (sometimes a blur, sometimes off-kilter) are unrelentingly intense, but often buttressed by synths and squalling, atonal leads that add color and variety. Conversely, the atmospheric breaks sometimes seem somewhat random, but they always generate an appropriately malevolent feel. DsO even give the listener the occasional taste of melody (the sorrowful, piercing guitar lines concluding "A Chore for the Lost" and near the middle of "Bread of Bitterness"), but these moments are quickly swallowed in the maelstrom. The songwriting is sufficiently dense that the tracks are not overly differentiated, but this is an effect of their variety rather than of monotony: each track spans so many varying riffs and sections that they're difficult to label. Nevertheless, the fearsomely bleak tone is maintained throughout, connecting it all.

    It is the sense of wholeness that makes "Fas" so unique. Again, so many have had difficulty injecting real songwriting into extreme metal, and DsO have put virtually all other attempts to shame. This unity extends beyond the actual music to the gorgeous, well-thought out artwork and surprisingly artistic lyrics. (Such issues rarely interest me at all, and it's a testament to their quality that I even notice them at all.)

    Needless to say, this is not an accessible album, and even repeated listens may not reward you with a full sense of the structure. It is however, invariably striking, and most extreme metal fans will likely go away from the first listen impressed, even if they can't entirely recall what they just heard. This is my ideal tech/progressive effect: memorable enough to draw me from the first listen, but deep enough that it rewards numerous careful examinations. Even better, DsO are clearly now just hitting their stride, so we can likely look forward to more remarkable work from them.

    Highly recommended.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2008
    I realize this won't win me any "cool" points, but this album is almost impenetrable. I'm a major fan of black metal, and Deathspell Omega's music is terrific, but the death growl vocals are extremely monotonous and ruin whatever message the band is trying to get across. Sure, there are words included in a nice booklet, but after listening to this CD about 10 times, I still find no redeeming value to the vocals. Yeah, I realize these type of vocals come with black metal territory, but my favorite black metal (Anaal Nathrakh, Drudkh, late-era Emperor, Darkthrone, Satyricon) is at least listenable and melodic. This is simply dissonance masked as progressive black metal. I could try to keep listening for several more hours until it grows on me more, but LIFE is simply far too short, and this negative album is not worth the time! This album made Album of 2007 in "Terrorizer" magazine. Their other selections (the runners up), such as Sigh, Mayhem, DHG, Darkthrone, and Reverend Bizarre are much more worth my time, and maybe yours, too...
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2007
    Deathspell Omega is one of the rare bands, especially in the black metal genre, that continually finds ways to top each of their previous releases. "Fas" is their newest opus, and it seems they are more fully realizing their own potential with every new record, for this is yet another different entity, a different incarnation of the band's musical style altogether. While there are ashes that remain of their past works, this is extremely chaotic and relies even heavier on dissonance and mind-bending riffs that aren't so technical as they are cryptic and demented. There are several start and stop moments and interludes of pianos and haunting ambient sounds here as well, performed in a manner that only Deathspell Omega could pull off in such commendable fashion.

    As I said of their previous full-length, words cannot fully grasp the actual impact of this record upon the listener, so it is highly recommended that you hear this yourself and experience it as a whole and not merely separate tracks. Deathspell Omega is one of the few bands around that still works on their music as an art form, expressed through the sound, noise, production, lyrics, and the layout of the album insert even. For that reason, this is a band I believe you should support by paying for their albums, and I'm sure you will find this well worth your money. I have little doubt that their next release will be yet another monumental triumph too.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2011
    This is a gorgeous, terrifying, sonically evil black metal masterpiece. I still don't know just how they managed such a loose-yet-virtuosic performance. The sound of this record will envelop you. Amazing and challenging, these Frenchmen deserve to be better known stateside. Highly recommended. Buy and enjoy.

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  • nick
    5.0 out of 5 stars 国内盤が出るそうです。
    Reviewed in Japan on August 7, 2008
    レヴューが無いので僭越ですが。既に歴史的名作との評価を得ている3rdに次ぐアルバム。
    前作の延長線上にある作風ながら、よりブルータルかつプログレッシブで神秘的そして当然ながら邪悪でアーティスティックな作品に仕上がっております。前作が少しチープに聴こえる程に音質、音圧共に向上しており、これから彼らを聴くならこのアルバムが個人的にはオススメです。ジャケットもシュールで格好良いデザインなのでレジに持っていっても恥ずかしくないのも○です。US盤のジャケットもEU盤と同じくカラーでした。