‘Monad is a testament to suffering.‘
What a way to introduce an upcoming debut album. Dutch trio Farer have been hard at work crafting Monad over the last couple of years, twisting their arcane brand of existential doom metal into a behemoth set to consume the scene on November 20 via Tartarus Records and Aesthetic Death. Today, we are pleased to be premiering “Asulon”, the second single off of the album, which you can stream below right now:
I’m the first to look at a runtime of this length with scepticism. Far too often in this genre, things plod along in a way that doesn’t hold my attention. Not the case with “Asulon”. For the entirety of its 14-minute runtime, Farer consume you on a primal journey in which they wield an array of clangorous weapons to drag you down into their monochrome hell.
Farer is distinct for eschewing guitar in favor of two bass guitars, brandishing them with impressive range. They rumble, twang, and are increasingly used to tremendous effect as industrial weapons that sound like the gears of a monstrous machine screeching into motion. Meanwhile, haunting clean vocals set the scene, carrying you forward as the music swells to its climax – unleashing a barrage of bellows and ominous promises of violence, before unravelling into a simmering, black metal-inflected soundscape that concludes the track.
There are no flames in Farer’s vision of damnation. Only barren rocks, waiting for you at the bottom of a ravine; the pits of your stomach screaming at you as you plummet towards them, the sight of their jagged edges endlessly rushing up at you so you never hit bottom. “Asulon” is where brutality and atmosphere intersect to perfection, building anticipation for what will likely be one of the finest metal releases of the year.
Monad is available for pre-order at Tartarus Records. Be sure to keep up with Farer on Facebook, Instagram, and their Bandcamp page to stay up to date with news, future singles, and other developments as the album release draws closer.
