Fleurety "Min Tid Skal Komme" CD
[Candlelight]
This is a remastered reissue of this Norwegian act's excellent 1995 debut with new artwork and bonus tracks. In addition to the massively long five tracks (totaling around 45 minutes) of said full-length are the three songs from 1994's "A Darker Shade of Evil" 7" and one track from an early compilation on the Blackend label. During this time period Fleurety weren't as quirky as they were to become, but the rugged black metal that they were flirting with was certainly sheathed in unexpected dissonance and experimentation - using not only unusual note choices and time changes to keep things interesting, but a range of tempos, appearances of female singing and keyboards, a good dose of melody, superb clean passages, etc. The raging vocal screams and speedier riffing has a little bit of a primal feel, but more due to the rough edges of the playing and the uncompromising delivery of the vocals than the recording, which is actually fairy crisp. It's a very curious mix of traditional black metal, ethereal atmospheres, and progressive rock/metal... but it's a lot more unique and dynamic than such a description can suggest. I like the recording. I wish the bass was a little bit more prominent because the bass playing is very nice, but everything else sounds fine. The guitars are rugged but not too dirty, the vocals are distant and raw, the drums are natural, and the mix is pretty balanced aside from the bass volume. The sound on the 7" is rougher, but it still works out okay under the circumstances, and the instrumental "...And the Chorus Behind Him" sounds superb. The layout is pretty damn cool. The booklet folds out into a six-panel "poster" of sorts, with the cover expanding out across the entire booklet on one side, and the lyrics concisely presented on the other with some additional textures in the background. The artwork looks really cool, there's little color, it's mainly black and white with some dull blues, but the imagery and textures are all great. The lyrics seem to be a mix of Norwegian and English, and apparently "reanimations of the lyrics' original content" have been included here, as have the lyrics to some of the bonus tracks. "I put the sword where it's supposed to be, And turn my back on the anonymous, I can still hear the laughter behind me, So this is supposed to be punishment? Is this what you have been calling hell? Or is it merely the road to a new era?" Interesting. I'm quite glad that Candlelight re-released all of this material. I wasn't into Fleurety in '94/'95, but I think this work was probably ahead of its time on many levels. If you missed this record the first time around, absolutely pick this up. Black metal rarely gets this curious. (8/10)
Running time - 62:08, Tracks: 9
[Notable tracks: Fragmenter av en Fortid, Englers Piler Har Ingen Brodd, ...And the Chorus Behind Him]
Candlelight Records - http://www.candlelightrecords.co.uk

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