Fenrir are a band that create big riffs and compelling lyrics that aren’t subtle but hard-boiled. Their work is dark and obscure at times too, but is also distinctive and highly original and with their new EP ‘The Rise: Part 1’, the act throw down the gauntlet and mean business with songs that will pull you in with a hardened grip.
Fenrir also have that arena sound that many bands seem to get wrong. It’s great to see a young band evolve so much. With their heart on their sleeve mentality the act could be destined for great things and by pushing the music to the forefront and dismissing the fame, they will open many musical boundaries.
The band have created a EP that is loud in its deliverance. It goes beyond the simple guitar lines and adds a certain complexity, something the act are comfortable with. The record also showcases a brush with sorrow and pain, agony that is unrelenting and profound and you will hear front man Ben Slater sing his poetic strands with clear cut intent, often gravelly, his voice is a great fit for what Fenrir are trying to achieve. All the songs on ‘The Rise: Part 1’ have been woven with a story in mind and you’ll certainly hear the fable unravel as the music progresses. A fable stricken with characters that crave to cause chaos.
There’s six songs on ‘The Rise: Part 1’. They’re all instrumentally sound and put together with thought. ‘Bones’ for example is a guitar laden anthem that will instantly appeal to the alternative rock fanatic, it never misses a beat and never becomes tedious. Slater shows his singing prowess wonderfully too and the lyrics are of a pessimistic tone. ‘Smoke Signals’ is an atmospheric track that holds a creative riff and a thumping drumbeat. Slater sings and growls in a satanic fashion. ‘Victory Rose II’ is a ballad of sorts, crafted with searing instrumentals that evolve. You can almost hear that trademark sadness drip.
Fenrir are a band that have delivered an EP that is dark and often depressive. The lyrics tell tales that are poetically written with a hand that’s probably bruised. And they come from a mind that wants us all to listen to it tick.
MARK MCCONVILLE