Fellwarden – Legend
Release Date: 14th June 2024
Label: Eisenwald
Bandcamp
Genre: Black Metal, Folk Metal.
FFO: Fen, Saor, Winterfylleth.
Review By: Paul Cairney
It has been a long 4 years since the release of Wreathed in Mourncloud, the superb second album by Black/Folk Metal band Fellwarden. You may have missed it, but a lot has happened in that time, including giving Fellwarden’s sole member, The Watcher, time to gather his thoughts and release Legend.
Based on the novel of the same name by British fantasy author, David Gemmell, Legend, the album is described as weaving, ‘a narrative of resilience and duty in the face of overwhelming odds’. Whilst this may well be the case, it is also an album that is as epic as any fantasy novel you may care to read.
This is the scenario that any Fellwarden album gives you. Legend is immersive, you lose yourself within the lyrical context and depth of the music. ‘The Watcher’, you may be aware, is the guitarist and frontman of the excellent Fen, with Fellwarden being a definitively solo project in that he provides everything you hear himself. The result is that Fellwarden are surpassing Fen as a band. Legend is a superior album to the most recent Fen release. This may or not be problematic to The Watcher, but as long as he is vigilant, he should be alright.
Disappointingly, the copy in for review does not include the bonus track, however the 6 songs on offer are delightfully complex, yet welcoming to the listener. The shortest track is 8 mins and 31 seconds long, meaning that each track contains enough variety to maintain your interest. The most endearing factor is that the folk metal, which is probably the predominant trait of Legend, is wonderfully dark that you can feel the injection of blackened metal into the songs construct.
Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the album is enjoying the progression Fellwarden has made since debut album Oathbearer. Where the debut was fascinating, it was opaque, it grabbed the listener but never really allowed full release. Wreathed in Mourncloud continued this grip, hinting at potential genius. It is with Legend that The Watcher has finally released the listener to envelop themselves in an album that delivers an insightful look into a literary fantasy world.
Fellwarden is a treasure that is waiting to be found.
(5 / 5)
