Black metal is just one of those genres where bands really get into the sub-stylistic weeds, isn’t it? Like, there’ll always be a subset of groups (or individuals) who allow no frills and churn out lo-fi minimalist metal with droning tremolo riffs. Or maybe the riffs will be more savage, dissonant, and evil in the newer tradition of so-called orthodox black metal. Some bands take a more grand approach and work in dense synth backdrops. Maybe some shimmering guitar effects, à la shoegaze or post-rock? Maybe a band will feel a call from the past and work in folkier melodies, or even better, instrumentation! And then, sometimes, you get a band like Firtan that decides to take bits of the whole genre and craft an album that is ambitious, yet beautifully cohesive. And then they’ll call that album Ethos.
Firtan is a band I hadn’t previously heard, but I certainly at least heard their name before. Their previous album, 2022’s Marter, made a huge splash among may of my black metal-loving friends who hailed it as some of that year’s best. I didn’t bite then, but with that praise in mind, I was very curious to hear out Ethos when it was announced, and put plainly, it easily exceeded my reasonably high expectations. Ethos is a grand album through and through, dramatic in it’s presentation yet fully capable of going for the throat exactly when it’s most effective.
Sonically, it’s immediately obvious that Firtan prefers a methodical pace to their music. Most of the album’s tempo hovers between a brisk-to-steady march and a doomier crawl, while also feeling extremely heavy with an abundance of muted low-string chugs. The production here is just marvelous, feeling very clean for black metal but nowhere near overly polished, giving an equal measure of weight, breadth, and grit to their sound. Layered atop the lead-heavy riffing and tight rhythm section are the synths, vocals, and one of my own favorite features in the ever present violin. Summed up, Firtan’s sound is dense and monolithic, and conjures some serious emotion.
In fact, I’m almost a little amused that the band chose the singularly savage “Wermut hoch am Firmament” as a leadoff single. Perhaps for the wow factor of including Ellende’s L.G.on guest vocals, but besides a calmer midsection the song bisects the album with a bristling, furious darkness that quickly called to mind Emperor circa-Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk, both in sheer force and in the dancing lead guitars. Comparisons to more recent bands leaning into the malevolent chaos of the orthodox black metal scene would even be warranted. The follow-up track “Moloch” does keep up a similar heaviness and aggression, but even then it feels more deliberate and controlled (especially the folky break in the latter half). Other songs do take occasional advantage of full blasting sections of course, but it did feel like a bit of a cheeky bait-and-switch to drop the most aggressive song as a lead-off.
That said, at slower paces the band is still just outstanding. Opener “Hrenga” is abundant in more post-influenced sections featuring cleaner guitars, while the more metallic riffs still feel mournful instead of furious. “Zores” and “Contra Vermes” are both punchy and efficient while still showing a lot of more symphonic character, whereas the languid pacing and soaring violin of “Arkanum” marks probably my favorite song across the entirety of the album. Some of the most subtle beauty in the album comes through in the quiet, clean guitar subtext and deep choral presence that underpins “Ruakh” in its riffier moments. And to wrap things up, the tragic march of “Komm herbei, schwarze Nacht” and the beautiful piano and violin piece “Wenn sich mir einst alle Ringe schließen” are just emotionally devastating when they hit right. I always love being able to call an album this heavy a work of beauty, and Firtan damn well delivers almost constantly.
I may be hard pressed to point out anything especially unique or different that Firtan may be bringing to the table (the seamless integration of violin with the odd bit of dulcimer?), but it’s undeniable that the band writes outstanding black metal. Ethos is an emotionally potent and damn heavy album that was worth the multiple listens I gave it, and probably a bunch more on top of that. If you’re seeking great black metal with bits of the pagan, post-, and orthodox styles that knows how to pace itself perfectly, Firtan is all but guaranteed not to lead you astray. Say what you will about the tenets of pagan black metal, at least we have Ethos.
