Fleurety
Min Tid Skal Komme
Candlelight
Candlelight Records has re-released a rarely heard and immensely avant-garde slab of black metal by Fleurety. Min Tid Skal Komme was originally released in 1993, on Misanthropy Records. While much of the black metal genre has a problem weathering three years time without sounding dated or corny, this Fleurety release (also included are their first demo and a rare compilation track) not only stands the test of time, but it shows a group of innovators playing unique and well thought out black metal.
I’d have to say that the most powerful work on this re-release are the three songs from the A Darker Shade of Evil demo. Not only are they very gritty and dark, but they feature Fleurety’s original vocalist, who is probably one of the freakiest singers (of any genre) ever to have his voice put to tape. Black metal has always seemed to thrive on the dramatic and operatic side of metal, vocals-wise. However, Fleurety’s original vocalist has one of the highest, shrillest screams I’ve ever heard. It sounds nothing like a human voice – more like a bird screaming, or a window being scraped with an ice pick. It’s not only unique, but it’s also somewhat unsettling and intimidating, something modern death metal bands rarely achieve. This re-release is worth the price tag just to hear this singer’s voice – I’m not exaggerating!
The tracks from the original release of the album Min Tid Skal Komme (sans demo and comp. track) feature a different vocalist, one who’s much more standard fare in the black metal world, and much less frightening. Nevertheless, the sound quality on these tracks is greatly improved, and the musicians’ talents have improved as well. Fleurety sounds much more like a prog metal band on the later tracks, though the dark guitars and utter lack of bass guitar keep the black metal vibe alive. Three of the album’s songs are longer than nine minutes in length so they develop in many strange and curious ways. It’s really quite incredible that this entire body of work was recorded before 1994, as it’s of a much higher quality than 95% of the entire Candlelight catalogue. This one’s well worth your cash.
Candlelight Records: http://www.candlelightrecords.co.uk/
