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At last! After 9 years of official discographic absence Fields Of The Nephilim are back (The album "Fallen" of 2003 doesn't count since it was a collection of older material, not endorsed by the band, and passed by a record company as a new album). I bet for the majority of fans the most important thing is not the release itself, despite its significance, but the fact that Carl McCoy and his company stroke again after such a long absence.
Even by changing their their name (and line-up) slightly to "The Nephilim", the previous release "Zoon" was a great album and the band made an innovation by "marrying" their characteristic Dark Wave sound with many Industrial and Metal elements.
F.O.T.N. are not simply a great band but THE BAND, comprising a cornerstone for the Dark Wave Gothic sound. Although they are well known, yet compared to the magnitude of their contribution to music, their fame should be even higher. Nephilim's world is not easily accessible and understood by everyone, since Carl McCoy doesn't simply play music. There is a deeper concept beyond the music, which in order to be understood one should visit (at least) the official site. "Mourning Sun" is not as hard as "Zoon". Some kind of return to the roots, a careful mix of many styles taking elements from their glorious past passed through modern musical filters and flavoured by newer trends.
The album consists of seven tracks, which could be listened autonomously, but at the same time they are parts of a whole gloomy concept surrounding the album. The frozen face on the cover is not accidental; it predisposes the listener to what will follow. Personally, when I listen to it I feel like living in a dream so vivid but at the same time so elusive. It awakes (even for the ones who might not like it 100%) deeper feelings of mystery for inner search making the body shiver from the fear of the unknown. The final result is succeeded by the assistance of the excellent production and instrumentation. It is recommended to be listened to late in the night with dim lights and could easily fit to be the soundtrack of a cultural science-fiction movie.
The album begins with the atmospheric "Shroud (Exordium)", which introduces the listener to the general atmosphere of the album. Among the tracks that I could distinguish is -by difference- the "New Gold Dawn", which is the most exciting song I have ever listened to for a long time and is a candidate to be written with golden letters next to the tracks from the "Dawnrazor" and "Elysium" albums. Gradual escalation of the stormy rhythms, rapid guitars, flush bass, and above all the unique voice of Carl McCoy. A genuine offspring of the good old Darkwave sound with newer influences as well. "She" is a nice "space" ballad. Throughout the album there are interesting industrial parts for the fans of this sort (like "Xiberia"), giving the sense of an endless hunting, but they are difficult to be "digested" by the non-industrial fans.
The only drawback of the release is that the atmospheric music is sometimes exaggerated; it is too omnipresent, not letting the rest of the music be developed. The songs are loaded by many "ornaments" and effects and the long duration could be a minus, since some songs sound endless (a striking example is the "Mourning Sun"). It's like expecting something to come but it never arrives. Maybe I am not an expert in fully understanding the sophisticated world of F.O.T.N., which is not only music but a whole concept behind it.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Shroud (Exordium) |
| 2. Straight To The Light |
| 3. New Gold Dawn |
| 4. Requiem Xiii-33 (Le Veilleur Silencieux) |
| 5. Xiberia (Seasons In The Ice Cage) |
| 6. She |
| 7. Mourning Sun |
| 8. In The Year 2525 |
: 55.00
| Buy other Fields Of The Nephilim albums |
