Country of origin:Italy
Location:Potenza, Basilicata
Status:Active

Formed in:2012
Genre:Medieval/Melodic Black Metal
Lyrical themes:Traditions, Myths, Spiritual
Current label:Wolfspell Records
Years active:2012-present

DISCOGRAPHY

Supremo Die EP 2013
Furor Lunae Full-length 2019

current line up

Bartlett Green All instruments (2012-present)
See also: ex-Warnungstraum, ex-Aryan Art, ex-Obscure Devotion

PAST MEMBERS

Alexander Ivanov Vocals (2012-2013)
See also: Aryan Art, ex-Bagatur, ex-Stürm Kommand, ex-Езическо Обсебване, ex-Aguares (live), ex-Ненавист

reviews

Mother Moon's Fury - 83%
tomcat_ha, December 4th, 2019

Medieval black metal has been kind of a thing the last couple years. Taking influence from older forms of erudite music is not new in black metal. We all know Dissection and Sacramentum did this back in the 90’s. In recent years we have seen bands double down on taking influence from even older traditions in music. The most popular of the bunch of course is Obsequiae but bands from France have been doing it for quite some time as well for example bands like Aorlhac, Sühnopfer and I’d say that Belenos is the first band that took melodic black metal in this direction back in 1996 with their first demo.

Flamen thus is part of a movement that has been on going for some time already and are not just Obsequiae but Italian. I’d argue that if one paid close attention it would be fairly apparent that this band is more closely related to the bands from France but also Graveland and Nocternity. Stylistically it is readily apparent that Flamen are from Italy, of course pretty much all the vocals are Italian but also the guitarwork quite clearly takes from Italian composers of yore. The Graveland and Nocternity influence also seeps in here in that while the melodies themselves might be Italian but the cadence of the playing itself clearly takes from them. The use of synths seems to be taken from the Greeks. This becomes especially apparent during the last song. Heck it is almost a Kawir cover.

Flamen gets quite close to making one of the black metal albums of 2019 but falls just short however. While the riffs are mostly very good to excellent, the songwriting is a bit predictable at times. Most of the songs follow kind of the same format with an intro played on acoustic guitars before the song shifts into black metal. The whispered clean vocals are not as annoying as those usually are but still I’d rather have actual singing. The programmed drums are some of the better sounding ones I’ve heard. It does mean however that the drum patterns don’t really do anything except back the rest of the music I would not say that this is a big issue however. The rest of the record sounds fine sonically speaking. The mix is done pretty well and the guitars sound powerful.

Flamen has come a long way from their way more obviously Graveland and Belenos worshipping debut EP. While not a modern classic I do consider this album one of the must listens in terms of black metal from 2019.

Medieval Metal Without the Cheese - 83%
Thumbman, December 4th, 2019

Man, Obsequiae has kind of ruined this niche of medieval-worshipping melodic black metal for me. About a minute into giving Flamen a shot, I found myself thinking when are the insane harmonized guitars going to come soaring in? Winding harmonized tremolo that blurs the line between leads and riffs do promptly arrive, and while good, they just don’t scratch that itch. Hell, Obsequiae just dropped an album that sounds almost identical to their breakout sophomore effort and it still ended up being one of my favourite albums of the year because no one fucking sounds close to them and holy shit did I mention those harmonized leads? I know it’s not really fair to Flamen, but especially since they dropped at around the same time the comparison is just inescapable to me. Obsequiae raving aside, Furor Lunae does incredibly well for a one-man black metal debut and they are anything but generic.

I’ll start with Flamen’s strengths – this dude has an incredible ear for melody. Harmonized guitar is a must for this melodic/medieval strain of black metal and a lot of Flamen’s most melodic riffs are harmonized. It’s really fucking cool – it’s not Obsequiae cool – but I have a hard time denying that they’re incredibly infectious. There’s also a lot of soaring tremolo, which gives Lunae an uplifting and triumphant vibe. It almost sounds designed as the soundtrack for a Medieval king triumphantly returning from a conquest. The keys are cool, especially the ones designed to imbue the album with an extra dose of medieval flavour. I know they’re MIDI and not the real thing they’re emulating, but I can cut Flamen some slack – it’s a one-man band after all and it totally fits the vibe of the album. I’m pretty sure these parts are meant to mimic a harpsichord (I’m super bad with identifying these sort of instruments), and they do wonders for bolstering the vibe Flamen are so keen on soaking their music in.

A major draw for me is the balancing act that Flamen pulls off. Sure, you’ve got lots of super melodic guitar lines and MIDI harpsichord bouncing around, but it never feels like a massive cheese-fest like virtually all of the europower bands that just eat up that medieval shit. For all the soaring, triumphant tremolo and catchy melodies, there’s a really cold core to Flamen. A lot of this actually sounds like if a black metal band typical of the Quebecois scene got really into Obsequiae. There are lots of stoic frozen waves of tremolo that help build the atmosphere. When he’s not indulging in harpsichord fun, we get a lot of really icy ambient keyboard tones. They hang behind the riff, providing a cold contrast to the warm melodies. The tones and the way they interplay with riffs actually remind me a lot of Neige et Noirceur.

As for the production, it’s really strong for the first major volley of a one-man black metal band, but there are still points where you can really tell it’s a laptop production. The guitar tone is nice and strong, and both the biting rasps and deep chants are perched nicely in the middle of the mix. However, the programmed drums are way back in the mix and are robbed of the impact they could have had. As for the actual programming, it’s fine. It’s the weakest link, but it’s competent and serviceable.

Furor Lunae is incredibly solid for Flamen’s first major campaign. Minor gripes about the programmed drums and comparisons to one of the best modern metal bands aside, Flamen have not only succeeded in unleashing a quality slab of black metal, but they have also done a great deal to carve out a unique identity for themselves. I could see this project really going places in the future – if a real drummer is brought on board and some really killer melodic leads laid down, their sophomore could prove to be a real breakout moment. This isn’t going to end up being my black metal album of the year or anything, but it was a really neat discovery.

Addendum: Since the previous reviewer spent half his review decrying people who listen to music made by questionable people, I feel inclined to expound on why I listen to some music made by less-than-ideal members of society. This isn’t at all intended as a clapback to him (who’s a good friend), but I feel after it was talked about so much, me dropping a glowing review of Flamen directly after him without addressing it might come off as an endorsement of Nazis in black metal.

I’ve seen a lot of this attitude lately, and it generally seems like a wider symptom of the self-righteous purity/call-out culture that has been a black mark on the progressive movement that I otherwise identify strongly with – but that’s a rant for another time and place. I believe you can separate the art from artist. I’d be the first person to cheer if Roman Polanski was arrested, but I’m not going to get on my soapbox and decry everyone who enjoyed Rosemary’s Baby. You could argue that there’s other great horror and you’d be perfectly right, but there’s no horror quite like Rosemary’s Baby and you can’t skip it if you want to understand the development of horror cinema. I do feel uncomfortable listening to blatant Nazi propaganda (as one should), and I will avoid that stuff. However, I have no problem listening to Burzum. Varg is a repugnant person by any yardstick, but he leaves his Nazi horseshit out of Burzum, which is an incredibly important band for understanding why a lot of black metal sounds the way it does today. Plus, there is no song that does what “Det Som En Gang Var” does as well as it does. I’m not giving Varg any money, so I really don’t see who I’m hurting, and I’m comfortable enough in my own beliefs to not feel like I’m threatening my values by listening to something made by someone whose views I disagree with. Life is indeed too short, and I’m going to enjoy the art that hits me the deepest despite the failings the artist behind it may have in their personal lives.

please tell me this guy's not a nazi - 66%
RapeTheDead, December 3rd, 2019

My expectations are constantly on edge with this release because yes, I’m one of those guys who will choose not to listen to a band if they openly support things I don’t: racism, nationalism, misogyny, pedophilia, you know, all that fun stuff. You can argue back and forth all day about how dope Arghoslent’s riffs are and how you just HAVE to hear them and how you’re taking the lyrics out of their historical context or some other ass-backwards goalpost shifting, but that doesn’t change the fact that there are more bands than you will ever hear in your lifetime that have great riffs and aren’t terrible people. We have a ridiculously finite existence, so why waste that time listening to music that isn’t 100% dope? I get that Fanisk has some great, prideful riffs, but if you think that riffs are more valuable than your personal principles I don’t know what to tell you.

Enough rambling, how does this apply to the music? Well…take a look at some of the past projects the main guy behind Flamen has been in. At first it looks pretty standard, couple of other black metal proj- oh, fuck, he was in a band called Aryan Art. Shit. Shit...alright, it’s okay, I can salvage this one. Maybe Bartlett Green (guy behind Flamen) was just really good friends with Alexander Ivanov and they did each other favors for their respective musical projects at the time (Ivanov also played in Flamen briefly). That just raises further questions, though: why are you so close with this guy in the first place? Okay, maybe they had a falling out and Green no longer follows a similar ideology...oh wait, Ivanov did a guest vocal spot on this very album I’m reviewing, I guess they do still talk. Fuck.

I don’t think I’m talking my way out of this. Bartlett Green, even if he doesn’t believe in it, at the very least hangs out with NS dudes. That is something you will probably have to reconcile in your head before you even approach this. If you do care about that kind of stuff, I would just avoid checking this out entirely, and if you don’t care about it at all, just disregard the above few paragraphs and check this out, cause it’s pretty good (also you kinda suck). I can’t just stop there, though, because there’s something else going on…

I spent a lot of time elaborating on that non-musical thing in an album review, but I feel it’s necessary. Not only is it nigh-impossible for us to divorce context from music, but said context informs the music of Furor Lunae as well. This is a very prideful and bombastic black metal album, taking tons of influences from folk melodies and classic composers, old myths, and as a whole the album is teeming with an Italian romanticism that you can see in many bands that emerge out of the Mediterranean (mostly the Italian and Greek scenes: Spite Extreme Wing, Spectral Lore, Handful of Hate, Akrotheism, I could name a few others) but black metal that comes out there is ridiculously melodic, perhaps even being the most melodic offshoot of the subgenre. It’s very well executed for the subgenre, with lots of subtle harmonies and playful melodies, but something about it makes me feel…uneasy, and I had the feeling before I even realized Flamen might have some questionable ties.

As great as Furor Lunae sounds, something’s missing. The drums perhaps lack the necessary bite to drive things forward, but they’re programmed quite suitably and I like the way a lot of the drumbeats fit the riffs regardless. While there’s lots of fresh, major-key tremolo to lift you spirits, sometimes the songs feel a little bit too busy (especially considering their longer runtimes) although that’s getting pretty nitpicky saying that a song has too many good ideas. I really don’t have a lot of major reasons to dislike this, and even the qualms I can quantify seem pretty minuscule. Yet Furor Lunae still comes out less than the sum of its parts, and it’s a pretty drastic drop at that - the parts are spectacular and the result is somehow mediocre. Italian music tends to have a sort of subdued sense of national pride that shines through in the music, and maybe I'm just equating that and some sketchy ties to an uncomfortable National Socalist vibe?

Either way I guess something about Furor Kunae feels kinda…fake? Maybe “cheap” or “thin” is a better way to put it. This has a very lush, bright and, dare I say it, medieval atmosphere. The folk influence comes out most in the clean guitar parts, but I would liken the metal side of this album to Obsequiae - they’re dissimilar in many aspects, but an album like Aria of Vernal Tombs has a shimmering, delicate surface beauty in the production that makes it feel incredibly dreamy and airy for a metal album. Flamen’s got that same thing going on - this is by no means an album I would call “heavy”. Now, I listen to a shitload of blackgaze stuff so if anything this is the norm for me, but even within the style itself this feels a little bit too…joyous? The combination of the production style, the rich and constant melody and the vocals being a whispering non-factor, this just isn’t hitting me that hard despite some of the melodies being really, really nice. II has a really nice crescendo into a super high-pitched, bombastic black metal riff, but all the tracks have lots of uplifting meloblack riffs drenched in this archaic, I-wish-I-was-in-the-Middle-Ages sort of vibe. The distorted parts manage to integrate the “medieval” atmosphere in rather convincingly, and all of the songs flow and are full of good ideas…but I never feel emotionally gripped by it in a way that’s almost a given for black metal with a focus on atmosphere. This is unique and does the medieval theme well and is maybe worth a curiosity listen, but there’s been better black metal this year, and maybe hold off on giving this guy your money until we clarify his views on dudes that don’t look like him.