U.Ok.-based “fashionable” doom act Famyne evaded my steel detector with their eponymous 2018 debut. I may need missed their sophomore outing too, had I not been determined for some doom when skulking by way of the fetid promo sump on a darkish and dreary evening. Thus, I approached II: The Ground Below with out context or expectation, and what I heard befuddled me for a superb whereas. You see, Famye play an uncommon number of doom that’s quite troublesome to categorise. There are nods to the basic doom sound, however a lot of what they do verges on goth rock and even alt/indie rock. One second you would possibly hear a Sabbathian crunch, however the subsequent it’s possible you’ll end up in Impure Wilhelmina territory or stumbling right into a Software meets Radiohead freakout. Such is the Famyne ethos, and it’s bizarre. It’s additionally fairly cool and entertaining when you’ve got the eggs for it. I like eggs.
In a transparent effort to confuse the listener, II opens with probably the most classicly doomy track on supply, “Defeated.” It reeks of prime Solitude Aeturnus with churning doom riffs out to pulverize your cranium integrity as frontman Tom Vane delivers a really Scott Reagers-esque efficiency. He’s whiny like Ozzy one minute, then mopey like Morrissey the subsequent as he hawks the products like a used automotive salesman engaged on fee. It’s not all that removed from what Pallbearer or Khemmis do today, with a pleasant mix of the previous and new within the plodding heaviness. As II rumbles onward although, the music shifts from basic sounds in direction of extra fashionable soundscapes. “Strong Earth” weaves Alice in Chains vocal harmonies by way of its Sabbath-worship, whereas “Gone” breaks into the Software shed to borrow a number of items of kit. These injections of latest(ER) blood permit the compositions to sound acquainted sufficient for the doom traditionalist whereas holding issues recent and fascinating.
The weirdest tour comes by way of “Submarine,” the place the band goes all in with their proggy proclivities, buying and selling heavy doom riffs for gothy alt-rock meandering that touches on Anathema, Radiohead and The Gathering because it widdles and wiles the minutes away. It’s an odd, languid journey and I didn’t a lot look after it at first, however with just a few listens it obtained beneath my pores and skin like a chigger, largely thanks Vane’s oddball antics. The album culminates effectively with two of its finest cuts. “The Ali” borrows the burly, beefy ethos of biker doom and golf equipment you with massive riff power till morale improves. Nearer “For My Sins” needs to have its basic and fashionable truffles and eat them each, melding heavy doom leads with an all-over-the-place vocal efficiency by Vane as grunge and Helmet-esque alt-rock components leak into the boat. It’s bizarre nevertheless it works.
I can see Mr. Vane’s vocals being divisive. He’s far and wide along with his efficiency, generally an excessive amount of so. He not often appears content material to stay in a single idiom, transferring from style to style and infrequently straddling a number of. On songs like “Submarine” he lets all of it hang around, and it will possibly take some getting used to. The similar may be stated of his contribution to “For My Sins” the place his proggy efforts remind me of King Goat‘s Anthony Trimming. He’s a gifted frontman and injects a ton of character into the fabric, however he tends to do an excessive amount of at instances, and a bit much less of him would possibly permit the songs to breathe. Tom Ross and Martin Emmons convey construction to the sport with a group of doom leads that anchor the songs no matter the place Vane opts to take them. There are a sequence of high quality basic doom leads on supply, and the tandem present versatility as they discover varied adjoining and never-so-adjoining genres alongside the best way. This can be a gifted bunch, and the truth that their music is so powerful to pigeonhole speaks effectively of their creativity.
II: The Ground Below possible gained’t be my favourite doom platter this 12 months, nevertheless it’s an fascinating pay attention with a singular method to the style. Famyne take probabilities and push the envelope, which isn’t all that frequent within the doom world. It will likely be fascinating to see the place they go from right here. Give this a spin and it’s possible you’ll simply be fortunately confused for some time.
Score: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 192 kbps mp3
Label: Svart
Web sites: famyne.bandcamp.com | fb.com/famyneuk
Releases Worldwide: Might 13th, 2022