Haunting, mystical, and entrenched in melancholy, Filaments debut track Am Fear Liath Mòr brings forth a time of great lore and legends and transports the listener to a place that was once solemn and dangerously enchanting. Filaments have conjured up a track that welcomes you in with a warm and open embrace, drawing you in deeper and deeper, before eventually tightening its grip, and constricting you with its sorrowful lament and its deep, downcast atmospherics.
Filaments are Marc-Christian Jordan (Drums), Lennart Riepenhusen (Bass), Patrick Mc Kay (Guitar) and Jens Görlich (Guitar) and to be honest these guys don’t sound like a band that’s taking its first steps into the world of post rock and post metal. Hailing from Kiel, in Germany, Am Fear Liath Mòr is a track that highlights the talent that’s out there. Recorded and mixed at Upaya Sound by Nick Braren and mastered at Strong Emotion Records by Sascha Röhrs, Filaments sound fresh, relevant, and already accomplished.
Nostalgic and mournful in its delivery, the track opens with those solemn and ancient Gaelic words that reverberate off every tree and bounce off every guitar cord as they sing the death march. Crisp percussions come rumbling in and under a blanket of thick forest air, as the rhythm guitars come storming in with a glorious riff that hangs in that dense and earthy air. All this goodness gets soaked in a wave of soft, sullen, synths, as each layer and each instrument comes together in unison, summoning a glorious crescendo that is patient and restrained in its conviction, as that beautifully toned bass guitar orchestrates everything to its final resting place. The melody is memorable, and the atmosphere is palpable.
There is a yearning for more after hearing this track, so I’m pretty sure we will be hearing much more of Filaments in the coming months. Be sure to visit their Bandcamp page and give these guys the support that their sound deserves.