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| #FOR FANS OF: Atmospheric Black |
With over twenty years of existence, the US-based band Fauna has created a trademark sound with its trance-inducing atmospheric black metal. Long compositions in this genre are not unusual, and this project has repeatedly shown that it is quite comfortable composing these sorts of tracks. Lyrically, the band is strongly influenced by atavism and shamanism, exploring the lost traits of humanity and the broken ties between humans and nature. This particular approach makes the band combine the fury of black metal with acoustic and ambience-inducing sections, creating strongly hypnotic songs.
Fauna’s previous albums, like 'Rain' or 'The Hunt,' are sonic proof of the project’s fondness for this mixture of influences, with a highly recognizable combination of acoustic sections, a good degree of ritual dissonance, and the furious Cascadian atmospheric black metal that is so revered in the scene. Contrary to other projects of the same genre, Fauna’s music is a bit more difficult to digest as it navigates between two worlds, which can confuse some listeners. The new opus, entitled 'Ochre & Ash,' delves deeper into this mixture, combining long and short tracks, where this ritualistic ambience reigns, as, for example, you will find in "Femoral Sun." These tracks are the calmer counterpart, yet their evocative and deeply dark nature makes them unsettling at times. This is explained by the concept behind the music, as Fauna goes a step further and invites the listener to a live ancient ritual where the life of hunters and cavemen is sonically depicted. The album is divided into three main parts, which consist of three long compositions and their ambient counterparts. The three main songs, which last between fifteen and twenty-three minutes, combine occasionally speedy and furious parts with sections whose cadence is less energetic.
The purely black metal parts indeed have these recognizable tremolo picking riffs and cavernous screams with the personal touch that Fauna always has. In any case, the compositions have a long build-up until the most ferocious parts appear. Fauna wants to submerge the listener in the sinister atmosphere of the cave and feel the oppressive atmosphere before the fury erupts. The contrast is sometimes unexpected, as it happens in tracks like "Labyrinths" or the long album-closer "Eternal Return," where the composition’s pace and intensity are suddenly increased. Nevertheless, the pace is usually more mid-tempo even in the pure black metal sections, as Fauna is primarily interested in creating this hypnotic ambiance rather than playing fast. This mid-tempo/slower cadence is clearly the main tool that this project uses to lure the listener and guide them through these ancient rituals, where the occasional speedy parts are the always unexpected violent side of nature that can surprise us.
'Ochre & Ash' by Fauna is another step in this project’s unique sound. Fauna’s music is not for everyone, as the albums are composed to be a one-piece ritual that requires a fully immersed listener. If you allow yourself to be drawn into this worship, this album can be a truly musical experience. (Alain González Artola)
(Prophecy Productions - 2025)
Score: 75