Feign/Atlas/Into The Night Records/2016 CD Review

  Maine's  solo  project  Feign  has  returned  with  a  new  album  that  continues  the  atmospheric  black  metal  sound  of  previous  recordings  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2016  album  "Atlas"  which  will  be released  in  July  by  Into  The  Night  Records.

  Tragic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  melodic  guitar  leads  along  with  more  atmospheric  elements  start  getting  added  into  the  recording  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  vocals  that  also  add  in  a  great  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and fast  parts  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  post  black  metal  elements  throughout  the  recording  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  at  times and  when  clean  playing  along  with  acoustic  guitar  are  utilized  it  gives  the  music  a  progressive  feeling.

  Most  of  the  fast  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  which also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  edge  and  there  are also  around  of  3 brief  instrumentals  while  the  vocal  tracks  stick to  more  of  a  heavier  direction  on  the  other  tracks  and  some  of  the  songs  are  also long  and  epic  in  length  and  one  song  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals  while  the  bonus  track  brings  in  whispers.

  Feign  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  on  this  recording  that  is  very  raw,  melodic,  atmospheric  and  progressive  while  also  having  some  death  metal  influences,  the  production  sounds  very professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  metaphysical,  cosmos  and  esoteric  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Feign  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric black  metal  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Into  The  Celestial  Nothingness"  "When  the  World  Ends"  and  "Atlas".  8  out  of  10.

https://intothenightrecords.bandcamp.com/track/lunarity

Feign/Into The Void/Into The Night Records/2015 Demo Review

  Feign  are a  solo  project  from  Maine  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  melodic  and  atmospheric  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2015  demo  "Into  The  Void"  which  was  released  by Into  The  Night  Records.

  A  very  dark,  melodic  and  atmospheric black  metal  sound  starts  off  the  demo  along  with  some  solos  and  leads  that  also  dominate  throughout  the  recording  and  also  bring  a  a lot  of  epic  melodies  into the  songs  and  when  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  very  grim  soundign  and  high  pitched  screams.

  Deep  growls  can  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  acoustic  guitars  are  utilized  they  give  the  music  more  of  a  progressive  feeling  and  blast  beats  can also  be  heard  at times  along  with  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  faster  sections  bringing  in  more  of  a  raw style  of  black  metal  and  the  synths  also  play  a  huge  part  in  all  3  of  the  tracks  and  the  second  song  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  he  closes  the  ep  with  a  brief  instrumental  track  which  also  brings  in  a  touch  of  ambient.

  Feign  creates  another  demo  that  remains  true  to  a  very  melodic  and  atmospheric  style of  black  metal  as  well  as  demonstrating  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  that  is  very   close  to  a  great  amount  of  the  veterans  or  legends  that  play  this  musical  style,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  cosmic  and  metaphysical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another great  sounding  recording  from  Feign  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  and  atmospheric  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  demo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Soulcrusher".  8  out  of  10.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/feignband
Bandcamp: http://feign1.bandcamp.com
Promo Video ("Soulcrusher"): www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM1j0LWZbeQ

Feign Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?

Feign is a side project I created in an effort to combine the emotional atmospheric elements of modern black metal with the harsh melodies of oldschool melodeath. I took my two favorite aspects of both styles, and contorted them into something that I thought would be interesting to create. There is other aspects of Feign though, doom influences as well as progressive metal influences. I wanted to create something that wouldn't be afraid to stray from it's core elements, to keep things interesting and fresh for the listener.


2.Recently you have released a demo, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

Dark, harsh, but melodic and beautiful as well. Instead of overwhelming hate and anger there is an element of mystery and deep emotion in the sound, something that I don't see as often in more extreme styles of metal, which is why it was something I chose to explore on this demo.


3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects that you explore with the music?

The lyrical themes of Lost To Eternity generally revolve around space, time, and one man's personal struggle. It follows him through his own world collapsing, and his journey to become part of stars in which he came from. Death, basically.


4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Feign'?

It was a word that I had heard of, and I thought it sounded very nice. The definition is also very interesting, and resonates well with the lyrical themes and sound of Feign. It means to pretend to be affected by something, a feeling, state or injury.


5.With this musical project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to be solo?

For now Feign is solo, but I wouldn't mind working with other musicians. It's all about the chemistry, if it works it works. If it doesn't, then it doesn't. I do enjoy working alone for now, though.


6.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

I think a label could be effective in bringing in more fans and getting the word out there about Feign. I'm not seeking one but I'm also not closed off to one, we'll see what the future brings when I release the debut album.


7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?

All positive so far! Everyone seems to be on board with my melodic approach to black metal, which is nice. I think it brings something a bit more fresh to the table, which can be good or bad, depending on the listener. So far so good!


8.Are you also involved with any other musical projects?

I have had many ideas over the past few months, possibly a death metal project, or maybe something more progressive. Who knows. At the moment I work on my solo stuff and Feign, that's about it. My solo work is just under my name (Jacob Lizotte). You can find that by searching on google or youtube, it's mostly thrashy metalcore, it sounds nothing like Feign but I do enjoy creating it! I've released 2 solo albums, and 4 EP's, as well as the demo for Feign.


9.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see yourself heading into during the future as a musician?

A full-album will be out pretty soon. Whenever I get a chance to write I start working on Feign, it's definitely my next release, probably in the next month or two. So April at the latest! As far as the future goes? I will always be creating music, whether I'm a touring musician or working and playing local shows. I would love to do it for a living, of course. But I'm happy either way. I'm looking to going to school for music production, so that is the most concrete answer at the moment for my future.


10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Lately I've been listening to a lot of Allegaeon, Pallbearer, Deafheaven as well as Dark Tranquility. Digging the new Periphery, At The Gates. I'm also a huge fan of Cynic, their latest album was killer! My music can be influenced by many different bands, I typically listen to metal, but sometimes I'll bust out something entirely different. It all depends on the sound I'm going for, and the style I feel like writing in.


11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I love weightlifting, writing, playing video games, I also enjoy hanging out with friends and family! Music has a huge place in my life, but I can't allow it to be my main focus 100% of the time. That's why I have other hobbies and interests, it keeps me from ignoring other aspects of life while also making my music writing fresh and exciting each time I sit down to do it.


12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Stay tuned for the debut album! I will be putting in infinitely more time and thought into it, the lyrical concepts and the song structures, making it more dense and more melodic while keeping it heavy. It will blow this demo out of the water! Thank you for the interview!

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Feign/3540392443

Feign/Lost To Eternity/2015 EP Review

 

  Feign  are  a  1  man  band  from  Maine  that  plays  a  very  atmospheric  and  melodic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2015  ep  "Lost  To  Eternity".

 A  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  along  with  a  very  fast  and  raw  black  metal  sound  a  few  seconds  alter  that  also  introduces  high  pitched  screams  and  blast  beats  on  the   recording  while  the  solos  and  leads  give  the  music  more  of  a  melodic  sound  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  mix  in  progressive  and  melodic  death  metal  influences  at  times  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  modern  atmospheric  black  metal  influences  and  on  the  later  tracks  clean  playing  along  with  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  more  diversity  as  well  as  adding  in  a  few  seconds  of  deep  growls.

  Feign  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  mixes  the  raw,  melodic,  atmospheric,  and  progressive  sides  of  the  genre  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  nature,  cosmic  and  metaphysical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Feign  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  atmospheric  black  metal  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Moonlight  Passageway".  8  out  of  10.

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/feignband

Bandcamp:

http://feign1.bandcamp.com