Farsot
- Story by Chris Dick
Avant garde black metallers break the codex necro
German newcomers Farsot think it’s their “dark and rude atmosphere” that qualifies debut album IIII as black metal. I’m not too sure I’d call IIII rude—well, maybe the Merzbow-like piece “Hass – Angst”—but it’s certainly dark, adhering for the most part to the greater tenets of the genre. Where Farsot stray from tradition is in their pseudonyms. Instead of adopting names like Warmmist or Heiligscheisse, Farsot angled for the unorthodox. As in, star catalogue or tax law unorthodox. 3818.w, Pi: 1T 5r, v.03/170, 10.XIXt and R 215k comprise Farsot. If you read that twice and are thinking of reading it a third time, the seemingly random set of numbers, letters and punctuation points are, in fact, ciphers. “The aliases are nothing more than codifications of our real names,” vocalist 10.XIXt explains. “There’s no deeper meaning behind it. It’s more part of the overall concept. Birth names are boring. We scorn mythological and esoteric stuff, and Tolkien-ish pseudonyms are quite preposterous. So this was the best choice.”
But there is a deeper meaning behind IIII. Originally recorded in 2006, long before Farsot caught the attention of Prophecy Productions, the album splits four themes—hatred, fear, death and grief—that directly connect to the musical and, more importantly, lyrical narrative. IIII is about the emotional state of losing someone close. “IIII is the product of Farsot,” the singer deadpans. “The ideas depend on previous personal experiences of each member of the band. There is no specific incident to which the album is dedicated. It’s more a sum of our individual development.” Whereas “Thematik: Hass” and “Thematik: Angst” seethe and snarl like early Mayhem and Satyricon, “Thematik: Tod” and the 20-minute epic “Thematik: Trauer,” complete with its own interlude, draw more from Shining or Bergtatt-era Ulver. “[Those] are great bands who have surely influenced us in some way,” he nods. “To be compared to them is a great honor. But they don’t have a direct impact. Farsot doesn’t try to sound like any other band. We try to develop our own style and sound like we do.”
IIII won’t derail or corrupt like Dødheimsgard’s 666 International, but like Deathspell Omega’s Kenose or Enslaved’s Below the Lights, the framework expands and contracts to facilitate the four themes. And melody, whether it’s strangled by unbridled aggression (“Thematik: Angst”) or brave enough to contain it (“Thematik: Tod”), is integral to Farsot. “Melody is essential for music,” 10.XIXt affirms. “It’s the most important characteristic that’s featured beneath the rhythm. Without any melody the music is cold and emotionless. Where it fits and where it doesn’t is no easy task. It is more a question of feeling.” For a band that covered “I Break” for a recent Katatonia tribute album, it isn’t safe to assume IIII is nothing more than lifeless black metal. Far from it.
