Fyrnask – Bluostar

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The problem with so many one-man black metal acts is that they sound so obviously like one-man black metal acts. Only the best ones (Burzum, Leviathan, Satanic Warmaster) can make that work for them, and most end up sounding like the hackneyed basement projects that they are. That isn’t the case with Germany’s Fyrnask, whose sole member Fyrnd manages to make debut effort Bluostar sound like a full, lush band with multiple members with distinct strengths as musicians. It’s a testament to his domination of the band’s vision but also to his flexibility. There’s a huge variety of sounds on Bluostar, all firmly rooted in the black metal framework and all playing off of one another brilliantly. Moments of beautiful melodic guitar share sonic space with long-form atmospheric black metal segments, all strung together by a series of ambient interludes. The interludes are occasionally a bit much — on a 55-minute album there seems to be at least 20 minutes of them — but when they work, they work well. They’re even more impressive as a demonstration of another aspect of Fyrnd’s wide range of skills as a one-man band. While Bluostar is an imperfect album, it’s certainly an auteur project that says great things about the future of its creator.

Written by Brad Sanders
More: 2011, Albums, Black Metal, Quick.Play Reviews, Fyrnask