The Second City: home to the sad, sad American football franchise, the Chicago Bears.
Musically-speaking, when done right, necromancy has its place. Now, circling back around to Chicago, its sons in Fer de Lance seem to be yearning for that signature European sound, conjuring epic heavy metal in the vein of DoomSword, viking metal-era Bathory and occasional Hellenic black metal. Epic, indeed. So, yes, nostalgic, but the substance and quality justify the means. However, there are other obvious similarities to bands like Atlantean Kodex and Eternal Champion.
The Illinois band, whose name translates to “spearhead,” ironically, isn’t all that straight to the point in terms of their approach to music, meaning there are numerous layers of the onion to peel back with each listen. With that said, their latest bulb, Fires on the Mountainside, is no different.
Right away, you’ll notice the rich production of one, Matt Russell. The title track, eclipsing 12 minutes, kicks off the record, ascending peaks and descending into valleys, with mid-paced, chunky riffs, folky solos and synths underlaying operatic vocals throughout its duration. With sprinkles of battle chants and tribal drum patterns, there’s no shortage of atmosphere akin to fantasy novels and motion pictures. As expected, if you checked out their last record The Hyperborean, the vibes aren’t too dissimilar from albums like Resound the Horn or The Golden Bough.
On the other side of the portcullis, “Death Thrives (Where Walls Divide)” is the most sinister-sounding offering on the record, backed by—at times—the most black metal-ish vocals on the album and haunting arpeggios in the chorus; think something from Varathron’s His Majesty at the Swamp or Rotting Christ’s Triarchy of Lost Lovers procreating with Bathory’s “Valhalla.” Moments like these are what stand out on Fires on the Mountainside. From tracks like “Ravens Fly (Dreams of Daidalos)” that sound so triumphant and borderline benevolent to the malevolence of “Death Thrives (Where Walls Divide),” therein lies duality.
Again, if you’re familiar with Fer de Lance, you’ll notice they continue lathering the canvas with various hues, and much of that comes down to the layers of instrumentation that help construct the classic heavy metal ambiance, or the gradual build, for the layman out there. The halfway point, “Fire & Gold,” and its climb to “The Feast of Echoes” comes to mind—acoustic strings slowly crescendo into electric guitar leads and a steady drum rhythm before a choir of vocals transcend the album into the most multifacteded offering on the LP. Vocally, MP shows off his range for what may very well be his strongest effort to date. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge just how critical the synths are and how they mesh with that Blind Guardian-ish guitar tone.
Speaking of Blind Guardian, “Children of the Sky and Sea” wouldn’t be too out of place on Imaginations from the Other Side.
In general, Fires on the Mountainside presents itself slightly different than its predecessor, The Hyperborean. Simply put, the latter may be more varied in pace at times than the former, especially on a doomier song like “Sirens” and a more uptempo track like “Ad Bestias.” This new record maintains a steady cadence. And while that could potentially be detrimental to the ears of some, I truly don’t think that’s an issue at all. Instead, the band does an incredible job of weaving little nuances here and there that keep it superbly compelling.
Point, blank, period: if you’re a fan of metal—subgenres aside—Fer de Lance’s Fires on the Mountainside should be on your list of albums to immediately feast upon. There’s no shortage of influences to sink your teeth into, and these dudes are one of the best newer bands doing epic heavy metal today. So, breathe in the sweet, sweet air of victory, Chicagoans. You have a winner in Fer de Lance.
Sadly, I can’t say the same about your Bears. 
