Album Review: Föhn– Condescending

Review by Rick Eaglestone

Greece’s avant-garde funeral doom outfit Föhn release their debut Condescending.

Opening proceedings with an amalgamation of terror filled jazz and eerie soundscapes is Bereft now, this release may only have 4 tracks but there is nothing under 10 minutes, so this gives the band ample opportunity to showcase a sound that even very early on seems to transcend traditional boundaries pulling the listener into a cacophony of despair, the funeral doom elements are really in depth and well crafted.

The trio then move onto A Day After – There seems to be a cohesive narrative that the four track all seems to explore with this track in particular even in its most serene moments still manages to bleakest of all the tracks and is easily the debut’s crowning glory.

The Weight of Nothing is a wonderful showcasing of the band’s talents, the musicianship in particular is superb, it interweaves into various soundscapes and feels like you hear individual influences throughout.

The debut concludes with the seventeen and half minute opus Persona which is richly narrative underpinned by wave upon wave of hypnotic prog like elements that have an ominous presence which only adds to the richness of the entire presentation.

Photo by Sakis Valachakis

FÖHN’s G. Schoinianakis states, “It had already started eating us alive, and we couldn’t wait any longer. It hurt a lot and we had to get it out of us. It’s only then when we talk, after all. We knew it would hurt a lot, and in the end, we hoped we would find redemption. A kind of catharsis

Watch BEREFT :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6UDjKF9hXc

Track list 

1. Bereft

2. A Day After

3. The Weight of Nothing 

4. Persona 

Georgios Schoinianakis – guitar, drums

Nikos Vlachakis – vocals

Georgios Miliaras – bass

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