Despairing for the degradation of the self as it arrives in relation to the willful ignorance of others, disgusted with the unflinchingly arrogant and misguided collapse of community in response to social engineering, and left in awe per humanity’s propensity to collectively erode in such hideous unison, right on cue… the sentient among us should naturally be left cold in an angered state, that is if fatalistic nihil hasn’t already settled in mind. Parsing anger and hopelessness into outward-shot outlet there is some sensation that a greater emotional beast has arisen this time around, a better-rounded and deeper wounding monstre event from London, England-based atmospheric/post-black metal trio Fen as they greet the greying skin of a sickly new world with their teeth bared on this remarkable, eclectic seventh full-length album. ‘Monuments to Absence‘ may very well appear as a welcome recension of their code, a regression back to darker ages and a hungered state of action but in fact they’ve never made known such elaborate corridors, copses and eye-gouging sights of darkness before. Heaviest, twisted into form acts help to belabor the elaborate point made that with complacency comes reversion, yet this experience nonetheless reads as a point of vitality for the longstanding British post-black metal adjacent crew, an even more inherently progressive black metal album which manages a gloriously expressive feat which threatens to tower over past works by sheer conviction and ingenuity alike.

Fen formed as a trio between former members of Skaldic Curse and (a precursor to) Lost Legion circa 2006 with the intention of putting their own spin on the atmospheric black metal emergent at the time, a versatile substance where post-rock influence lent a cinematic flair to then drying-up atmoblack overpopulation. Named for bleak nature in a landscape view their original locus had been different from the U.K. black metal of the time, not entirely unrelated to progressive black metal but bearing the folken touch of Agalloch, Drudkh and Enslaved in certain mannerisms on their debut EP (‘Ancient Sorrow‘, 2007). This was for many an era where bands like Winterfylleth and Altar of Plagues made quick claims of their thrones whereas Fen took a bit longer to reach indisputable status in the circles I’d been a part of at the time, a bit of a surprise considering how hold they’d been in striking unto a much more directly post-rock inspired sound (see: “Colossal Voids”) than most on ‘Malediction Fields‘ (2009).

Elegantly composed in their deeply introspective poignancy and I believe heavily influenced by (broadly speaking) British romanticism for their poetic tonality Fen‘s development of signature and its progression over the course of their first three full-length albums was no secret to those willing to dig beneath the surface and approach the post-black metal tag as a loosely defined margin. Often lumped in with bands adopting Cascadian influence across the pond but generally finding their own way from the start, I recall this band’d been a tough sell for those looking for a quick fix in either direction: Not quite wrathful atmospheric black metal, not quite cloyingly sweet post-black trope, and this was perhaps most challenging on the underrated ‘Epoch‘ (2011) which has held up nicely for its nuanced depths in hindsight. There are many notes I could give on their four LP run on Code666 Records but I’d always felt my general takeaway from each record was that they had a knack for doing something different each time, making their own sort of progress within different meta-tonal acts, eventually reserving some ideas for other projects (see: Fellwarden) while finding fresh avenues for Fen to explore.

Fen are arguably at their best, or, praised most often within their typically introspective works as they’ve woven their own style of atmospheric black metal which’d expertly infused post-rock, shoegaze and such into their earlier realm to the point that their prominence in modern (yet not avant-garde) U.K. black metal has been steady in trajectory. In the midst of this development of expectations and precedence they’ve inserted a few records which’ve switched the input with the output. Eh, what I mean is that while Fen are often found taking it all in, applying their experiences to a sensorial inner world, a few of their records have felt the need to let it all out in one great gust of action; The point where I’d first warmed to the band (‘Carrion Skies‘, 2014) is perhaps where we find the most profound example of reactivity and performative bravado from the artist by way of “aggressive progressivity” a feeling which is echoed within ‘Monuments to Absence‘ where naturally the well-evolved black metal oeuvre Fen‘ve developed rings a bit hotter, incensed and even more intricately stated. The excitement which should rightfully surround this new record should be clear as this rare blade of aggression in hand meets a most profound mindset developed within the last couple of full-lengths from the band.

Mindless, thee endless hordes. — Since I’d not reviewed ‘The Dead Light‘ when it released back in 2019 it won’t do much good to compare this seventh full-length from the band directly to it. If had one note was that Fen went “post-rock” back in 2011 and progressive rock in 2019 but not without black metal context. As far as I understand ‘Monuments to Absence‘ is less an antipode to their last record and moreso a differently tonal birth from that level of conception, reaching similarly ambitious elevations within an (again) more aggressive point of view necessitated by an outward flowing frustration with human nature in crisis-bound times; Without becoming lost in hopes of a worthy delineation of what constitutes “heaviness” in terms of black metal I would suggest that this record is louder, features much more active and expressive rhythm guitar work than expected and presents the blustering, high-pressure knack which Fen less often pulls from. This time around the guitar arrangements are doubly ambitious not only for their vine-like strands but the unpredictable flow which occasionally arises. Perhaps it’ll seem trite to say so but, we can still compare part of this modus to that of Enslaved to some modest degree, more clearly around the second half of the album (see: “Truth is Futility” b/w “Eschaton’s Gift”.)

With eight songs that all roughly land within the ~7-9 minute range most of these pieces share structural girding which should naturally recall the aggressive narrative verve of ‘Carrion Skies‘, the thinking man’s twists and turns of ‘The Dead Light‘ and perhaps the anxietous shoulder weight of ‘The Malediction Fields‘ for certain pieces but I’d suggest that these are some of the more potent, condensed works from the band thus far in terms of impactful events and tonal shifts undertaken. We start with anger, the meter of “Scouring Ignorance” blasting out of the gate before a glowing gallop persists and a few semi-dissonant phrases angle into the intended storm-in before the title track brings this elaborate Bathory-esque charge to its presentation, epic heavy metal influenced strides embedded in its otherwise disaffected prog-black metallic undertaking. The tone of the album shifts between reaction and reflection within several pairs of songs, this being an up front showing of The Watcher‘s riffcraft continuing to reflect his taste in much more than cinematic expressivity but perhaps heavier shades of traditional heavy metal and heavy rock. This’ll be compounded within the rest of the first half of this double LP.

“Thrall” is for my own taste the piece to tear open the album, the point where the blood truly flows from ‘Monuments to Absence‘ in speaking to complacency as servitude while presenting this fresh activation of the self, even bigger heavy metal riffs and sombre curses cast as Fen begin to truly dive into their action head-on and fire up their unexpectedly charged aptitude for melodic, anthemic black metal. Of course this piece moves to a more ethereal state as it progresses, not exactly a The Flight of Sleipnir post-metal nodule but something equally effective in its broad movement from start to finish. The vessel of resplendent blackened thoughts that has been filled at that point is “To Silence and Abyss We Reach”, at least one of a few pieces on this album that don’t feel like Fen are pulling any punches into refrain for the sake of contrast, leaning into the dark state of mind that’d inspired it soaked in the flames of fury and frustration. A good bit of melodrama applied for good measure as the first half of the record ties off.

What pushes this record well above average? The second half is just as effective, if not moreso than the first even if the general sonic landscape has been fully revealed at that point. Again, “Truth is Futility” has a certain prog-metal escalation which fans of nowadays Enslaved will certainly appreciate for its upwardly mobile guitar work and waves of cleaner harmonized vocals which built up a high point to launch the second half of this ~68 minute record from. Though that piece is a prominent show-stopping moment on the full listen there is some equally if not more profound work to be found in late album stunner “Wracked“, wherein we feel the agonizing torpor of a despairing mind and the physical effects of depression chipping away. These songs in particular show some of the strength of the bass guitar presence in this well-rounded, warmed but still capably oppressive sound design. I’ve felt like the production values have been so sorted out with this band for ages that I’d not thought to comment on them until approaching their full discography in succession before cracking into ‘Monuments to Absence‘. Likewise I’d failed to mention up to this point that the band’ve welcomed their fourth overall drummer, J.G. of the brilliant Craven Idol, into the band as his capabilities and tastes seem to have found a natural merger here as you’ll find the feeling of his work as finesse for the fill-heavy, brutal parts of the record (esp. “Scouring Ignorance”, “To Silence and Abyss we Reach” et al.)

In order to justify such excess (and my enjoyment of it) I would point to ‘Monuments to Absence‘ as an experience which is not entirely unheard of from Fen but perhaps one which reaches new heights per its vigorous furor and deepening thoughtful eclecticism. There is a logic to these actions, a feeling achieved which is in line with their greater body of work, but also a spirit of defiant energy which clearly stands apart from expectations here. The listener might have to first parse what this record feels like, how it makes them feel and what it might convey before figuring what it is in terms of style since the tonal range is broad and the experience is rich with fine detail. I’d gone into this record without much faith in more than a first impression and yet I’ve walked away a bigger Fen fan, finding pieces of this album stuck in mind and returning to it far more than I’d initially allotted. Even still, it doesn’t yet feel like I’ve fully seen the entirety of this arboretum and will likely continue deeper inspection with the lyrics in hand. A high recommendation.

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