First, this Fane is not to be confused with the Fane from Buffalo, NY, despite both playing sludge metal. This is a duo from Baton Rouge, Louisiana; arguably the home of sludge metal.
Second, that is some killer album artwork. I need a shirt, guys. (edit: there is a shirt!)
So, now that’s over with; this is the duo’s (Ryan Ashmore on vocals and Trey Porche on all instruments) debut, and it’s pretty damn solid. 5 songs in 33 minutes of pure sludgey, doomy goodness that fits the press recommendations ‘for fans of Crowbar, Primitive Man, and Thou (though not as blackened)’. I’d also throw in some obscure 00s bands like If He Dies, He Dies and Samothrace.
Though from Louisiana, the guitar tone isn’t the usual fuzzed-out, swampy tone, but a clearer, still very heavy tone. Ashmore’s vocals are a gruff, gravelly bellow, with a few bars of a spoken-word croon.
Riff-wise, this lumbers with ample heft and lope, with a few moments of more gravitas, and very little buildup or atmosphere clogging things up (“The Mariner” has a few seconds of the tide washing ashore). And when the band does add a little more emotion or layered melodies, such as the standout “Poisoned Crown” or “The Mariner,” it’s pretty stellar.
The other 4 tracks are not chopped liver either. Notably, the steady “Dead Shepherd” and the moodier but massive closer “Passages”. And certainly Fane looks to have a promising future in the genre and carrying the Louisiana sound if they can build off this strong debut.
