With the announcement of their fifth album, Fen said they were seeking a return to their roots and to the essence of their sound. The first slice of Fen’s album, Winter, comes in the form of “I (Pathway),” an ambitious seventeen minute introduction.
Fen build an ominous atmosphere at the start, leading into harsh black metal. Fen’s greatest strength throughout “I (Pathway)” is their use of clean, pensive interludes. These moments of build-up make the blast beats and tremolo picking more effective, starting and ending each piece of the song with quiet, calm segments.
“I (Pathway)” is the beginning of a journey throughout Winter that raises questions that have yet to be answered, Fen explain:
“This opening chapter ushers in on the sibilant, sinister winds that slice across the mist-wreathed peat bogs of the fens. It represents the start of the journey – uncertainty and resolve warring with each tread across a landscape laced with questions, ghostly voices of past failings drifting from stagnant waterways and thin lines of bent trees. Drawing ever closer on the horizon lies the cathedral – a rearing megalith bleeding the promise of succor across the landscape. What will be found there? Penance? Redemption? Or something as-yet unsought?”
Code666 will release Winter on March 10. Preorder the album here.