I have friends who don’t really pay close attention to the news and societal occurrences, and I envy them very often because that dissociation would be a relief pretty much every day when I wake up. I don’t know how much longer I can watch the climate being battered by idiots, most of the same people excusing away the obvious crimes of a buffoon, and the horrible treatment left untreated toward marginalized people in our community. Burn it the down.

I would not necessarily think of English atmospheric black metal band Fen as one that can unite with such feelings, but on their stunning new record “Monuments to Absence,” their rage and vitriol is palpable and flows freely. Look no further than the red-splashed artwork on the cover, then hear these eight searing songs that this band—vocalist/guitarist/synth player Frank “The Watcher” Allain, bassist/vocalist Adam “Grungyn” Allain, drummer J.G—commits to their seventh album, and you’ll still feel generous gusts of wind but also the bloody fury existing in their hearts as they look upon the same world. Watching humanity on the path to willing self-destruction and the hopelessness that results can be enough to get your own juices going, wondering how long it will take for humanity to wake up, if that possibility even remains.

“Scouring Ignorance” opens ominously before the heaviness arrives, slashing and rushing, coming with fiery passion. Clean calls mix in with gargantuan shrieks, the dizzying pace makes the room move, and growls devastate, bringing a spirited burst that makes blood rush freely. The title track has sounds hanging in the air and mixing with a penetrating fog, clean singing bellowing, shrieks following up as the intensity increases. Guitars spiral as gut-wrenching playing flexes, storming with pressure as it moves and soaks the land, bringing an incredible infusion of energy. Power chugs, guitars soar, and a synth cloud thickens and adds a mystical sense that lingers. “Thrall” drips in with dreary guitars before things light up, and the ground rumbles with power. Growls punch as the leads mount an offensive, everything whipping with cyclone force, “oh-oh” calls getting into your bloodstream. Things get dreamy before jolts light the sky, guitars burn, and a moody haze swallows everything. “To Silence and Abyss We Reach” erupts with jarring guitars and a great scorching push, clean singing numbing, electric ferocity elevating the excitement. The playing engulfs, splattering and adding to the raucous pace, trudging and slashing at will. The blistering continues as rousing group singing makes hairs stands on flesh, the chaos spills over, and everything returns to oblivion.

“Truth Is Futility” emerges from a thick fog, strong singing comes along with it, and the melodies get even heartier and earthier before destruction comes calling. Vicious howls knife through flesh, and then a strange aura arrives, bringing a cosmic woosh, letting the drums open and bleed freely, growls clobbering on top of everything. Heat scrapes, a daring path is forged, and a melodic infusion floods the ground. “Eschaton’s Gift” glimmers as guitars travel through mud, growls spill blood in the dirt, and the immersive playing flows with great strength. Thing get grisly and punchy, drubbing energy jolting muscle. A prog rush increases the energy, slashing with vigor, flowing out into mystery. “Wracked” lets melodies wash all over, the guitars following suit and creating something hypnotic as clean calls add a cooler breeze. Then the belly is opened with violence, shrieks gut, and while some of the playing gives off a cloudy blue-sky vibe, and there’s sinister intent buried. The foundation crumbles as metallic intensity surfaces, a colorful splurge adds new textures, and the playing slowly liquefies and soaks into the ground. Closer “All Is Lost” flows calmly, letting the atmosphere develop, finally bringing lightning charges that singe flesh. Shrieks crush as the speed increases, fiery stomping amplifying the damage, the guitars adding a sheen that blinds your eyes. Growls wrench, clean calls dig deep within you, and an emotional high peaks right as the record gasps its final charges.

The rage and blazing passion in Fen is evident on “Monuments to Absence,” as direct and furious a record as this band’s ever created. Through these eight tracks and 67 minutes, Fen unleash some of their most intense and bloodiest feelings, making what was already a heavily emotional mental makeup even more explosive. This is a band with so much more left to say, and this go around, they rightfully take us all to task for what we’ve become and the improvements we seem hellbent not to make.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/fenofficial/

To buy the album, go here: http://lnk.spkr.media/fen-monuments

For more on the label, go here: https://en.prophecy.de/