Review Summary: Die Sonne Sinkt
Firtan is a German atmospheric black metal band hailing from Lörrach, who released their third full-length record this July in the form of Okeanos. Following up on the solid, but somewhat forgotten release of Niedergang, the band showcases a far more ambitious effort, no longer primarily concerned with recreating long-established conventions of (atmospheric) black metal with modern tools, but rather with creating an album with a diverse set of different stylistic inspirations, songwriting methods and sentiments. Firtan proceeds to take the slick, well-produced sound of Der Weg Einer Freiheit, employing folk metal-esque passages that wouldn’t be out of place in an Agalloch album, even some black and roll influences reminiscent of Kvelertak on ‘Nacht Verweil’, weaving them into a coherent and concise album.
Lyrically, opener ‘Seegang’ starts with an excerpt of fellow Baden-Württembergian native Friedrich Schiller and the band continues using poetry, specifically Nietzsche’s ‘Die Sonne Sinkt’ as the backbone for ‘Tag Verweil’ and ‘Nacht Verweil’, and a slightly adapted version of ‘Das Feuerzeichen’ for closing track ‘Siebente, letzte Einsamkeit’. And while one might criticize the band for a lack of original lyrics, Nietzsche’s philosophical ponderings on dissociation and loneliness fit very well in the nihilistic atmosphere Firtan establishes on this Okeanos.
Vocalist Markus Stock shows off his range constantly, switching between several different styles, emotions and intensity. The instrumental diversity and performances are another high point of this album, constantly shifting focus from one instrument to the other, creating a very natural ebb and flow that seems to mimic the oceanic theme of the album. In addition to the layered composition, sparingly using strings on high points, acoustic guitar plucks on calmer sections and a whole load of other atmospheric harmonies throughout, Firtan employs a very sharp, clear production on Okeanos, allowing different instruments to take attention or move into the background when required, amplifying the effect of their creative songwriting.
Following ‘Nacht Verweil’, ‘Purpur’ kicks in around the 20-minute mark and serves very well as an instrumental interlude, ensuring Okeanos doesn’t become monotonous. Subsequently, ‘Uferlos’ progresses with a more doom-inspired slower-paced opening, transitioning into a more energetic song filled with atmosphere, and the decidedly heavy, fast-paced closing track ‘Siebente, letzte Einsamkeit’ turns into a genre-defying magnum opus, that winds and changes and takes interesting ideas from a handful of genres to create a truly unique experience. Clocking in at a surprisingly short 40 minutes, Firtan maintains a brisk pace with diverse instrumentation and a lot of character, establishing their name as another new black metal band whose future exploits should be watched intently.
