24 (untitled) tracks, 74 minutes, a wide variety of musical styles. Quantitatively there is nothing to complain about the debut album of this German project, which follows a 7″ single on Eternal Soul. “Fearscapes” comes in a nicely designed digipack and is very enjoyable through the varied musical styles and the overall high quality, especially for a relatively new act. Apparently this is the second part of the “Zorngericht”-trilogy, after a limited cd-r.
The basis of many songs are formed by melodic neo-classical sounds, sometimes bombastic, at other times more ambient-like, often with grave gothic vocals. An act like Leges des Heils comes to mind now and then through the ‘military pop’ melodies. A more martial track like #8 reminds me of Hekate, while other heavier parts make think of the scene around Wappenbund.
As I said before, the variation causes many surprises. The fourth track for instance mixes a metal guitar riff with electronic beats, on top of which a melodic synth layer has been placed. Furthermore quite some 80’s wave/electro influences have been incorporated. A few songs even have distorted dark electro vocals, most noticeable on tracks #6 and #13. There are also darker ritual pieces and softer ambient moments to be found.
Perhaps not all 24 tracks are equally interesting, but in general “Fearscapes” is a very nice and quite original album, which will appeal to people with a broad taste.
