Germany’s black metal band, Firtan return with their fifth full-length album Helios. I reviewed their third album, Marter, in 2022 and raved about the band and record. The newest member of the band is Lukas Massinger, who joined on guitar last year. The biggest step forward for Firtan, on this release, is the band moving away from their song titles and lyrics in German, in favor of English. In any event, this could see an increase in their appeal to a greater range of fans. The album themes and lyrics range from personal growth, to darkness, as well as personal enslavement and hard fought struggles. 11 songs in an hour is a lengthy affair, so get ready.
“Himsa” is a beautiful instrumental lead by Klara Bachmair’s haunting violin. This goes into “Kilakas Tongue”, as the music gets louder and louder in the mix. Oliver König (bass), Phillip Thienger (keyboards/guitar), David Kempf (drums), and Chris S (guitars), all join in on the fray, with the violin being played as well as keys. The pagan influence, with the various vocal tones and musical arrangements, is all played with much emotion. There is beauty in brutality with Firtan. And with lyrics: Breathing to commit sin, Loving to betray, Prevailing to give in, All hail isine and decay, the band is committed to make the listener think a little when reading the lyrics. Hence, the band has a greater punch to their lyrics, for more of the masses in the extreme metal scene.
“Ambrosia” is beautifully arranged, and with an early pinch harmonic scorching its way into our ears, I immediately smile. An intense gallop with the violin being prominent in the mix and adding that extra layer of black metal goth inspired heaviness. The harsh vocals give way to chanting, then the song gets into faster territory. The harsh vocals do have elements of death metal to them, which, goth-inspired, hit brutally perfect. The song has a variety of tempo shifts, ranging from brutality to atmospherics. The ending part of the track has a killer groove, and then the chanting returns, with the squealing violin entering in even more. Whew….I gotta catch my breath….give me a second… There is a lot going on with Firtan, on this album, with it being more expansive…a lot to take in. Ok ready..
“Ascension” is a seven minute number, beginning with more violins and then a plodding, doomy heaviness with that violin torching your soul. Brooding, depressive, and haunting. This is a seven-minute opening song, before the black metal vocals cut into the mix. The guitar riffing, I must point out, is pretty damn good and creative. The song slows down into ethereal atmospherics before the fast section erupts. It’s a bit jarring. It’s fast-paced, but not blasting. It’s pretty chaotic, as well as hypnotic, and the pagan vocals, at the five-minute mark, are most excellent.
“The Hierophant Way” at close to twelve minutes has so much going on, with the mid-paced section, than faster passages equipped with keys and violin. It’s breathtaking and moody. The song settles into a groove passage that hops about with the pagan vocals. Quite emotional, I must add. The song slows to an acoustic moment which is close to classical music, and guest vocalist, James Dorton (Black Crown Initiate/The Faceless/Ne Obliviscaris), lays down some deep guttural vocals, and this moment is terrific. The song ends beautifully and takes us into the “Shadows of a Dawn Unborn”, closing out the album. A song designed to please classical music fans with saxophones, beautiful female vocals, and an all around beautifully constructed pagan piece to bring this album to a close. Please make note there are various editions, one of which has a cover of Bathory’s “Man of Iron” from the Blood on Ice album. What a perfect ending, as the cover is an amazing rendition of that song.
Helios is one helluva an album by Firtan. Their most expansive one thus far and pushing their creative boundaries beyond what I though possible. At times it can be exhausting with the barrage of sounds and noises. There is so much quality going on pushesd this is in fact a most excellent album,thought requires repeated listens to fully absorb the material. Forward-thinking and most excellent.
