Scotland’s Andy Marshall is no stranger to the UK black metal scene, having been a member of Falloch at their beginning before branching out alone under the Saor moniker.
Where that project celebrated Scotland’s rich history with warmth and traditional influences, Fuath takes an altogether different path and instead speaks of winter and its despair. Andy treads through frostbitten lands and incorporates stark, cold guitars as well as towering passages of bittersweet melody and, on opener In The Halls Of The Hunter, echoes early Burzum and Darkthrone with harsh, piercing screams and fast, tremolo-picked leads on the guitar.
That’s not to say it’s all icy vortexes of sound; Fuath imbue a lot of melody into proceedings and I has many moments of breathtaking beauty that cascade through Blood’s stunning guitarwork before breaking into The Oracle and a slightly slower pace, giving weight to the argument that less is sometimes more.
Spirit Of The North resonates with a melancholic aura, Andy’s sounds spilling forth in waves of tremendous passion and respect for the beginnings of his chosen genre.
