Feral Light/Psychic Contortions/I, Voidhanger Records/2022 CD Review

 

  Minnesota's  duo  Feral  Light  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  more  of  a  mixture  of  post  black  metal  and  crust  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "Psychic  Contortions"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  I,  Voidhanger  Records.

  A  very  heavy  yet  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  presented  on  the  recording.  The  solos  and  leads  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  give  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  Growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  tracks  also  adding  in  elements  of  crust  punk  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

 When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  post  metal  style  along  with  one song  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  the  music  also  has  its  sorrowful  moments,  the  album  also  closes  with  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  nightmares  and  bad  psychedelic  trips.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Feral  Light  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  post  black  metal  and  crust  punk,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Enveloped  And  Transformed"  and  "Communion  And  Reckoning".  8  out  of  10.

https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/psychic-contortions  

Feral Light/Life Vapor/Hypnotic Dirge Records/2020 CD Review

  Minnesota's  Feral  Light  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  that  shoes  the  music  going  into  a  mixture  of  black'n'roll,  post  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Life  Vapor"  which  will  be released  on  May  22nd  by  Hypnotic  Dirge  Records.

  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  rawer  direction  which  also  introduces  tremolo  picking  style  riffs  onto  the  recording.  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  some  dissonant  style  melodies.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  being  heavily  rooted  in  doom  metal.

  Elements  of  post  metal  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  The  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  black'n'roll  influences  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  inner  struggles  and  mysticism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Feral  Light  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black'n'roll. post  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Blood  In  Sand"  and  "Hex  Of  Inverses".  8  out  of  10.

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Feral Light/Fear Rides A Shadow/Pulverised Records/2019 Vinyl Review

  Feral  Light  are  a  band  from  Minnesota  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  mixture  of  post  black  metal  and  black'n'roll  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Fear  Rides  A  Shadow"  which  will  be  released  on  February  2nd  by  Pulverised  Records.

  A  very  dark  guitar  orientated  intro  starts  off  the  album  while  also  introducing  melodic  riffing  onto  the  recording.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  A  great  amount  of  post  metal  influences  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  atmospheric  sounding  as  well  as  the  guitar  leads  bringing  in  more  of  a  melodic  style.  on  the  second  track  the  music  starts  incorporating  more  black 'n'roll  elements  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  diversity  as  well  as  some  more  dissonant  structures  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  the  music  is  not  as  crust  influenced  as  previous  recordings.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  war,  history  and  apocalyptic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Feral  Light  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  post  black  metal  and  black'n'roll,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "arrow  And  Beast"  and  "Carbonic  Dust".  8  out  of  10. 

  

Feral Light Interview

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

Feral Light started shortly after I moved back to Minnesota from California. I had been wanting to start something back up again for a while to get all this musical energy out. It has been compared stylistically  to where I left off with Wolvhammer on 'The Obsidian Plains'. Personally I think our output has a little bit more layering, but I'l take it. Jeff and Andy (Reesen) contribute their own styles that compliment everything really well. I am a firm believer that a melding of playing styles and approach only adds to the strength and creativity of the material.
>
> 2.So far you have released a demo and an ep,how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?

When we first started, everything came pretty quickly. Refined or not, we wanted to get it down and recorded. That's what the demo was. Quick and dirty. There was definitely more forethought, plodding, and layering with 'A Sound of Moving Shields'. Much more mature, but still stylistically the same.
>
> 3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

This is all Jeff. Most, if not all lyrical concepts deal with the crux of war and the societal and literal aftermath and repercussions. He comes at it from different points of view, different points in time, from different cultures and different regions. He's a pretty educated dude when it comes to this stuff, and everything is written very well and cohesively. I dig it. We have been tossing around the idea of kind of a first-person concept idea for the next album.
>
> 4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Feral Light'?

Raw, real, and true. When you think of a wild animal, there is carnal instinct, beauty, ugliness, violence, compassion... Nothing is really inherently good or bad- it just is. If nothing else, it is always honest. It really can't be anything else.
>
> 5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We haven't played a lot live as of yet. Things sort of started fairly quickly. I will say I am very much enjoying writing and creating again for the sake of writing and creating. It is refreshing.
>
> 6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

Nothing concrete. At this point, we would like to save live endeavors for solid tours or some good one-off fests.  I don't have a ton of interest in playing locally.
>
> 7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal and crust?
>
So far, so good. We're pretty damn new, so time will tell!

> 8.Are any of the band members also involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

At this point, no.
>
> 9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

We have slowly started putting some material together for a full length. It will probably always have the Feral Light sound, but I feel the art is in adding new sounds and influences without destroying the integrity of what the band is. Finding that balance. There is always room to be creative and to push yourself.
>
> 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?

Oh this question. I've been listening to metal for a long time. I take influence from black metal, old school death metal, crust, post-metal, some punk... Sometimes I won't listen to anything heavy for weeks. It depends. I guess that's always a big question for me.
>
> 11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I hang out with my dog a lot.
>
> 12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
>
Thank you for the interest and time!

Cheers.
M.

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Feral Light/A Sound Of Moving Sheilds/Sentiet Ruin Laboratories/2016 EP Review

  Feral  Light  are  a  band  from  Minnesota  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal  and  crust  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "A  Sound  Of  Moving Sheilds"  which  was  released  by  Sentient  Ruin Laboratories.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  and  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  doom  metal  and  after  awhile  the  riffs  start  using  tremolo  picking  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  being  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  Elements  of  post  punk  and  post  metal  can  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  crust  influences  and  after  awhile  the  songs  also  start  bringing  in  traces  of  black'n'roll  while  some  songs  also  have  a  progressive  feeling  to  them  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Feral  Light  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  the  modern  style  of  black  metal  while  also  mixing  in elements  of  crust  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  yet  powerful  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  war,  history,  and  apocalyptic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Feral  Light  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal  and  crust  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hell  By  Compass"  and  "In  Glorious  Battle  Slain".  8  out  of  10. 

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