Feral Light – Fear Rides a Shadow

Minnesota duo Feral Light have unleashed one hell of a Black Metal/Black n Roll album with “Fear Rides A Shadow” via Init Records and Pulverised Records. The follow-up to their debut album “Void/Sanctify” from 2017.

I’m not too sure where the ‘roll’ comes from in the description because I hear more of an abrasive Sludge Metal mixed with the dissonant Black Metal. There is a progressive feeling to the songs that sits somewhere between early Agalloch and very early Alcest. Almost as if a melancholy vibe hovers like a mist above the chaos unfolding below. The riffs morph from sombre slow picked passages to steel edged trem picking and back again, ever so frequently touching on a thick sludge riff that throws up a wall of dirt that can only be pierced by the raspy croaking vocals. If anything else there is a multilayered journey from start to finish with a depth that flows like an ice cold river in the grips if winter.

I will be honest and say that Feral Light caught me by surprise with this one. When I saw the ‘Black ‘n Roll’ label I was expecting something more along the lines of Venom or newer Darkthrone but “Fear Rides a Shadow” brings much more to the table and was a very pleasant soundscape to delve into. Highly recommended and has definitely made my top albums of 2019 list. (Ted Gloom)