There are just some people that refuse to play by the rules. As we find ourselves in a time where the boundaries of each sound in the wide spectrum of metal are extremely well defined and offer loads of crossover for those that are able to bring such creations together and all that they can offer, there’s always more than enough room for a name to come out of the ether and show us what else can be accomplished in the right mindset. For all that this genre can still become, few names come up and show us can be even today. Within the vast realm that’s only their second album, Felgrave shows us how it’s done in a truly exemplary fashion.

Not all acts are created in the same place where they eventually end up. It can be an exceedingly difficult thing for a musician to evolve their craft into something far greater than what they had when they initially set out on their journey, but uncertainty in the endless possibilities has always been a strong factor in what has long made the underground a realm where anything can happen given time. Bands like Felgrave demonstrating that beautifully! Starting off as a predominantly death-doom act, any of the three massive offerings that are to be found within “Otherlike Darknesses” should have more than evidence that, in practically every given form, Felgrave is a name that can do great things as the act casted a wide net in the crafting of this record with the results nothing short of grandiose and magnificent to look upon.

Pulling from all over different reaches of extreme metal, no stone is left untouched as “Otherlike Darknesses” writhes within its own sonic territory with loads of intensity, beauty, majesty, and terror to be found within each track. Everything crashing together in one bombastic performance that yields an overwhelming display of color and power wrought via evocative magnitude that hold nothing back for so much as a millisecond, it’s obvious that Felgrave is not treading any path bands normally find themselves on. “Otherlike Darknesses” is well and truly alive. Never taking the path you would expect it to and lingering in realms that can shift seamlessly from jaw-dropping beauty to overwhelming pressure that bears down on every fiber of your being, it is one beat after another that Felgrave captivated its listener as the name writhes and grapples with its own dualities. It very quickly makes for a dynamic performance that warrants multiple listens in order to get the full picture of what the record paints with the final tapestry something that could very well bring a tear to the eye. But whether it is shed out of fascination in the sight of such grand majesty or terror before a work that can be so filled with light and darkness, that is wholly up to the listener.

It is still far too early in the year for us to certifiably know the works that are still going to stand out when we recall the finest works that the year had thrown our way, but there’s something special in the wide bubbling cauldron that Felgrave meticulously stews over that makes me feel like this record could very be an exception. Monstrous in its size and all-encompassing in its daring, everything summoned to make “Otherlike Darknesses” is done so with true mastery and splendor to immediately make the record one that demands your investigation upon its release and a firm spot in our memory when it comes time to recall the works that moved us body and soul.

“Otherlike Darknesses” releases on April 25th via Transcending Obscurity Records!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Otherlike Darknesses” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Felgrave on Facebook here.