Strutter 'Zine has called it "Stunning." The Power of Metal gave it a perfect "10/10." Hard n Heavy Webzine hailed it "Spectacular."
Of Losing Interest is tearing through the charts and leaving the critics and fans alike with slack-jawed amazement.
Now, Vancouver's alternative prog-meisters, FEN, have partnered up with The Ripple Effect for an World Premiere exclusive preview of the bands new video, "A Long Line."
Following up on 2010’s breakout album, Trails Out of Gloom, the band return to their heavier roots with the brand new album, Of Losing Interest. Once again recorded at Creativ Studios with longtime producer, Mike Southworth at the helm, the band have crafted themselves an album that perfectly balances the technical virtuosity of heavy metal with the more down to earth tones of the early 90’s alternative rock movement. Of Losing Interest is available through Nail Distribution in North America, Code 7 in the UK, Clearspot International in Europe, at the Ripple Music Bandcamp for digital and here at the Ripple Store for physical. Tune in here!: Heavy Planet
Fen will be hitting the road to begin support Of Losing Interest in September:
Sept 21st: Kamloops, BC - The Dirty Jersey Sept 22nd: Salmon Arm, BC - Hideaway Pub Sept 25th: Calgary, AB - Vern's Bar Sept 28th: Prince George, BC - Riley's Pub Sept 29th: Dawson Creek, BC - Rockwell's
Here’s what the press has to say:
“Fen combine more traditional prog passages with heavy riffs creating a unique sound. The band certainly know the way around their respective instruments and have the talent to pull off the complex passages.” -- Get Ready To Rock!
“Certainly, Of Losing Interestis different than its predecessor, but not entirely unexpected from Fen. Being heavier rock, even metal, the album still offers the listener their darker side. Recommended. 4 / 5” -- Dangerdog
“Now they are back with a stunning new album titled ‘Of losing interest’, which musically goes into a very high quality Progressive Rock/Metal direction. It is especially thanks to the superb vocalwork of singer DOUG HARRISON that FEN’s music is lifted way above other bands in this extensive genre called Prog. 8.6/10 ” -- Strutter ‘zine
Yeah, I may be getting old but I can still rock out the hell out. I certainly don't feel 42 most of the time and I still get excited when a band I love comes to town. I saw that doom masters YOB were gonna be here before hitting the road with Tool, and knew it was maybe my only good chance to see the band that made my number-one album last year.
It was on a Monday, so that sucked, but I still couldn't pass it up. After all, this was gonna be up-close and personal. Intimate.
The Bourbon Theater in Lincoln, Nebraska is a tiny one but it still draws some pretty big names in heavy rock music, believe it or not. Clutch and The Sword come to mind. I don't know why it surprised me so much that YOB would also be appearing there. I guess I just never expected it.
I got there early, not so much to see the opening bands but more to browse the merch. I'm glad I hadn't ordered Atma on vinyl yet 'cause there it was, all shiny and new. I grabbed one, plus a shirt, and then noticed an album cover I hadn't seen before. It wasn't one of the band's regular releases. Turns out it was one of only a few vinyl demos the band had for sale so I got one of those too.
"Lucky you got one," the guy behind the table said. "Only 3 left and then they're all gone. Totally."
Sweet. I took the stuff out to the car, had a small break and headed back inside. By the time the first two bands finished the place was getting crowded and I decided to grab a spot as close as I could. Yes. A little stage-right from the drum kit.
YOB come out with smiles on their faces and acknowledge the crowd - maybe 100 people. This is gonna be an epic night. I couldn't believe I was about to hear this band in such a small venue. The whole stage is maybe seven or eight feet deep and 15-20 feet across. Barely enough room for the band and their equipment. And there I am, with my nose literally 12 inches from the mic stand. The stage comes up to the middle of my shins and I'm braced with the front of my thighs pressed up against huge Yamaha speakers.
I'm ready. Let's do this!
After a short sound check YOB tears into "Prepare The Ground", the first earth-trembling track from Atma. I'm not prepared. I had a thought about grabbing a pair of ear plugs earlier that day at work but that's as far as I got. A thought. Too late now. After the first couple riffs it doesn't matter anyway.
To tell you the truth, I totally lost myself somewhere in the middle of that first song. I didn't have anyone shoving me from behind and no one was brushing either of my shoulders. It was almost like I was the only one there and YOB was playing just for me. My own little private concert in Nebraska. Fucking awesome. I had plenty of room; my body was writhing and contorting to the thunderous grooves being laid down.
I didn't find myself until maybe the third song, I think it was "Atma", when Mike S. broke a guitar string. He apologized and took a couple minutes to fix it himself. No guitars techs at this show, but I didn't mind at all.
"I needed a break anyway," I thought to myself. Maybe I do feel old - my neck sure does. Damn.
YOB tear it up. During a couple songs I find myself fixating on drummer Travis Foster, who has a focused, determined look on his face as he's bashing away. His arms contort in ways I didn't know were possible as he apparently tries to beat his drum kit to death with two wooden sticks. Not since WEEDEATER have I seen such a punishing performance.
A good hour or more after they started, YOB follows up with a cool TOOL cover and then finish the show with "Quantum Mystic", off The Unreal Never Lived. I wipe my face with my shirt and then rub my eyes. Is it over? Wow. That's when I try to clear my ears and remember there's nothing in there.
The crowd fizzles out and I notice the band members tediously breaking down their equipment. "Now would be a good time to go get those albums from the car," I thought, and so I did. All three guys signed them for me without hesitating and listened graciously as I thanked them for coming to little old Lincoln. Great bunch of fellas. I wished them luck on the rest of their tour and told them I hoped they have fun.
"We already are," Mike said and then thanked me and my friends for coming out. He expressed that he's also a little nervous about thousands and thousands of people staring back at him in the coming month. Unexpected bodily functions are a possibility, he joked. Still, go see 'em if there's a show anywhere near you. I can only hope your experience was a great as mine.
To me, this show wasn't just a little warm-up before their big arena tour on the east coast with TOOL. It was special. It was an intimate night with YOB and I'll never forget it.
Simply put, I love instrumental music. But I've been asked many times, "How can you listen to that?" There's no lyrics. No voice to tell you the story. Exactly. The instruments tell the story for me; they guide my journey. Half the time I may be hearing a band's vocalist but I'm not necessarily listening to every word he or she says. For me, it's all about the music.
"Take away all the vocals and it's still music," I tell people whenever I'm questioned about my love for instrumental rock/metal. I understand that everyone has different tastes and a lot of people insist on a vocalist. For those who don't, I have a couple of excellent instrumental bands/albums I've discovered recently and I thought I would share them with you in case you don't know already. I'm just that kinda guy.
The first is the self-titled, melodic metal debut by Soul Cycle, available at Bandcamp. I can't stress enough how much I'm loving this right now and I have to thank fellow music lovers at The Number of the Blog for giving me the hint.
"Melodic metal...with MORE BALLS!" That's how Soul Cycle founders and underground metal producers Chris Catharsis (Sonorant) and Mark Hawkins describe their music. These guys have several more thrash/death metal projects but Soul Cycle is more my style. No Cookie Monster vocals here.
I'm a huge Joe Satriani and Steve Vai fan but I'm going to be honest with you once again. Soul Cycle has made me shelve both of their entire discographies for the time being. The guitars are THAT good and so are the songs. Neither Satriani nor Vai were ever this heavy. Plus, they're getting old like me. Catharsis (composition, rhythm/bass guitars, drum programming, production) and Hawkins (composition, lead guitars) are my new guitar gods.
Influences: Catharsis and Hawkins mention bands like Soilwork, Devin Townsend, In Flames, Sevendust, Sikth, Misha Mansoor, Chimp Spanner, Tool, Meshuggah, Threat Signal, Mnemic, Rage, Misery Inc., One Way Mirror. "And those are just the ones that comprise the majority of our sound!"
Soul Cycle are making their finishing touches on Soul Cycle II right now. They've been posting teasers on their Facebook page recently and it's driving me crazy! I want more! I can't do anything but wait and keep hoping the release date is sometime soon. Until then, I'll keep listening to their debut. You can, too. Just stream the entire album and get your own copy at Bandcamp for whatever you want to pay.
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I'd like to thank the Prog Sphere music blog for hooking me up with Oresund Space Collective and their "totally improvised space rock".
Wow. I can't say much else but these certainly are the perfect, laid-back and tripped-out, lava lamp jams I can love so much. Turn down all the lights and let the music take you on a journey through the ethereal cosmos - through the final frontier. I'm down with that.
Partial bio: Øresund Space Collective is a group with members from many different Danish and Swedish bands; these include The Carpet Knights (Malmö), Siena Root (Stockholm), Mantric Muse (CPH), The Univerzals (CPH), Bland Bladen (SE) and many others. The instrumental, psychedelic rock band has a shifting line-up and an extensive catalog; to date, I think they've released about 8 CDs and 3 vinyl records and I'm lucky enough to have a digital copy of their latest, Dead Man in Space (Feb. '11). I'm considering it some of the finest space rock available in this galaxy.
What amazes me so much about this Scandinavian supergroup - aside from the music - is the fact that all their recordings are totally spontaneous. There's no rehearsals. No preconceived notions of a song's structure. Like they say, it's all improvised at that moment in time. They're playing what they feel when they feel it. I sure can feel it too, man.
You can listen to Dead Man In Space and other releases by Oresund Space Collective at Bandcamp. Check them out for sure.
We’ve been talking about this for a few months and it’s all finally coming true . . . Fen’s first official video is complete and ready to be viewed by the masses! Tuesday, February 8th, the video for the band's second single from the Trails Out of Gloom album, “Miracle”, will exclusively air on the Heavy Planet web site (hint, hint . . . view the video here . Heavy Planet) before it’s made available through other viewing avenues. At the same time, “Miracle” is landing on the desks of radio programmers across the nation in a concerted effort to push the track. Produced by Mind of a Snail Co. and featuring a couple of hand-made marionettes, the video tells the visual tale of two young lovers finding out just how miraculous love can be.
“The speaker is pining to regain the initial spark of a relationship,” states singer/guitarist Doug Harrison on the meaning behind the song. “He pleads with whatever mysterious power brought them together, hoping that it will help him fully remember that miraculous union, and through this knowledge, bring them closer together again,” he explains.
In support of Trails Out of Gloom, Vancouver’s progressive alt-gloomsters are preparing for dates across Canada in the Spring, as well as a special tour that will feature live performances in select ghost towns. More information will be made available as soon as the details are worked out on all fronts!
Here's what the press has to say about Trails Out of Gloom:
"Consistently enchanting from start to finish, Trails Out of Gloom is one of the more rapturous releases you're likely to encounter in quite some time. It is fantastic in every way. Highest possible rating, 16/16." -- Progressions Magazine
"It’s one of the better if not the best release in 2010!” – Prognaut
"Doug Harrison is one of the new remarkable talent in the prog scene. Beautifully structured songs that almost drown in the right emotions and are decorated with tasteful arrangements. Fen resembles Anathema meets Threshold , but with an original, unique angle.” – Lords of Metal
