None of us are the same people we were last year at this time. Now, stretch that idea over years, decades, and think about the growth and progression we (hopefully) have made. We are made up of parts of our past and what we’ve picked up over time, and our bodies change and regenerate over the years, further transforming what makes us whole.

We haven’t heard from doom/sludge bruisers Fórn since 2018’s “Rites of Despair,” and in that time since, we’ve gone through a lot as people and a world. It’s clear its members—vocalist Chris Pinto, guitarist/electronics master Joey Gonzalez, guitarist Danny Boyd, bassist Brian Barbaruolo, vocalist/synth player Lane Shi Otayonii (of Elizabeth Colour Wheel who now joins the lineup), drummer Andrew Nault (Josh Brettell played drums on the record)—also have developed into new forms as you can hear on their great new record “Repercussions of the Self.” Their sludge foundation remains, but built on top of it are more electronic influences (Gonzalez cites Massive Attack, Portishead, Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross as further inspiration), as well as Otayonii’s added touches that make this band a more formidable and varied creature. This record is much different from what you’ve heard of them from the past, but it’s a natural, thrilling progression that proves this band always was capable of so much more.

“Pact of Forgetting” is a mechanical nightmare, Pinto’s voice warbling as the playing crunches slowly, synth swirling as dreams come in greyscale. The playing then pounds away, fog enveloping as a deliberate pace leaks into shadows. “Soul Shadow” instantly enters into a deathly doom pall, growls buried in a melodic miasma. Otayonii’s singing becomes an early factor, adding a chilling edge, the sounds stretching and contorting, growls adding a gritty edge. The playing turns burly and spacious, trudging into waters with cold and warm edges, the electricity exploding, leads exploding into oblivion. “Hela’s Choir” dawns in static, beats echoing, hazy guitars leaning into anguishes calls. Otayonii’s wordless cries set your mind at ease and spark cortisol flow, surging into hypnosis before folding into time.

“Anamnesis” brings churning guitars, thick fog emerging from crevices, beats clashing and echoing in your ears. Sounds scuff and sooty doom thickens, electro beats bouncing off walls, heat rising off the top of this instrumental. “Regrets Abyss” starts clean before an elegant burst, growls menacing as the guitars pick up and eat through muscle, working into a haze that blankets the sky. Sounds churn as melodies get brighter, the guitars building and glimmering, roars mauling, blazing to a scathing finish. Closer “Dreams of the Blood” haunts, a smoky essence unfolding, voices warbling before growls sink teeth into flesh. The playing lathers with heat, leads wandering into hypnosis, dissolving into a humid night. Otayonii’s calls feel like a message from a dream, and then the playing explodes, going faster than ever as growls maul, acidic passages eat through bone, and gazey drama peaks and then cascades, disappearing into oblivion.

Change and progress are good, fruitful things whether it applies to our own lives or the music Fórn have created the past decade. “Repercussions of the Self” shows a band with a renewed focus and a sound that is developing more in what reflects their creative visions, and this record helps them break past pure sludge metal without losing an ounce of their impact. This is an exciting new chapter for this band, one that could find them shape-shifting even further into a more dexterous, dangerous beast.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://persistentvisionrecords.com/products/forn-repercussions-of-the-self

For more on the label, go here: https://persistentvisionrecords.com/