Felled - The Intimate Earth (2021)

Unleashing a very powerful and emotionally charged release, today we have Felled and their debut full-length “The Intimate Earth”. Perfectly mixing Black/Folk and some Doom Metal elements, this outfit creates a very unique and ravaging sound thanks to the misery-inducing Violin that accompanies all songs. Particularly reminding us of the short lived band Forty Days Longing, this is one hell of an emotional release filled with crafty songwriting.

Immediately a very somber mood is set with the piercing “Ember Dream” and its dramatic arrangements. Weaving back and forth intense onslaughts and melodramatic tempo changes, this track perfectly blends Black Metal with a doomier edge and some Folky elements. The mixture of harsh vocals alongside sweeping guitar leads nicely evolve into a very cathartic closing. Showing the first track was not fluke, “Fire Season on the Outer Rim” nicely continues the dramatic aural experience by adding some clean female vocals into the mix.

The band’s pedigree is undeniable, and so are their core influences as it features Cavan Wagner and Tiffany Holliday of Doom band Poet, Isamu Sato who played bass guitar with Yob in the early 2000’s, alongside Jenn Grunigen from folky/symphonic metal act Cerridwen. All these influences create a very unique mix on songs like “The Rite of Passage” and “Sphagnum in the Hinterlands” which progres from being folky/doomy pieces into heavier territories as the mood turns.

Closing with the solemn “The Salt Binding”, we are left quite blown away by the overall melancholy inflicted by such a unique and powerful release. Perfectly balancing the lush and melodramatic with piercing heaviness, “The Intimate Earth” is quite a versatile album that will please fans of multiple genres. If you are adventurous and enjoy unique Metal sounds, you will certainly love Felled and their music.

Label: Transcending Obscurity Records

Release: July 2nd, 2021

Genre: Black/Folk/Doom Metal

Country: USA