Band: Foscor
CD Title: The Smile Of The Sad Ones
Year: 2007
Website: www.foscor.com
MySpace: myspace.com/foscor
Label: Temple Of Darkness Records
Featured on: Loucifer Speaks and Burning Misery
Rating: 9.9 / 10
More Links: Take a look at the Foscor thread on the forum
I got this album a month of so ago and since getting it, I've become very well acquianted with the 9 tracks that are on offer here. The first time I listened to the album was when I was travelling on a bus in August. The weather was really overcast and not typical for the time of year... and Foscor complimented this feeling excellently. Their brand of Black Metal with Doom elements is bleak enough to chill you to the bone.
The album opens with "Sot Endins" which is a strange little track that is completely creepy. I'm sure that if you listened to it on your own, with all of the lights turned off, you soon find the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end. Once this track ends, the title track – "The Smile Of The Sad Ones" – kicks in. Its chilling melody and omnious tone makes you start believing that the end of the world is, quite possibly, on it’s way.
The clean vocals, which are sung at the same time as the rasping throaty vocals, make me imagine souls trapped in some unending torment. I may be looking to deeply into this, but if you put this album on and just completely concentrate on it, you may think of the same imagery.
"Life's Death Code" is more hard-hitting than the previous track and the change in feel and tempo compliment the two tracks equally. If "The Smile Of The Sad Ones" had you believing that the apocalypse was here then "Life's Death Code" will remind you that you still have a little bit fight left in you before you surrender.
"El Palau dels Plors" leans more towards the Black Metal side of things than the Doom side and carries with it a more menacing undertone. The lead guitar, while it doesn't try to distract the listener with any fancy or over-the-top solos, definitely stands out from the mix in all of the right places. Foscor seem to know that you can use a good thing sparingly and that you don’t have to overdo it. The main riff and rhythm is very memorable and it is perhaps this that has led "El Palau dels Plors" to be my favourite from the album.
The beginning of "The Shame and the Spectre" brings us back to the Doomy side of Foscor again and this is no bad thing. Foscor seem to be very comfortable and capable in this area and the moaning spoken vocals are incredibly unnerving. The deep bass makes you think that something undescribibly evil is just around the corner... and there’s nothing you can do to escape from it. The pace of the track picks up at around 2mins 45 seconds in and the change of tempo really makes this track interesting.
The vocals in "L'Ombra de l'Adicció" make it stand out from the other tracks on this album. They are mostly clean and move along in a slightly strange and disconcerting melody.
"Gebre" is another brilliant Black Metal track and has all of the key elements – and the fast drumming is really noticable.
"...I Tornà de les Cendres" begins with some rather demonic noises – which are always good fun! This is my second favourite track on the album and I'd highly recommend giving it your absolute full attention when listening to it. On the surface it is another Black Metal track, but I think this track has more of an edge to it than other tracks on this album, like say the previous track "Gebre".
The album closes with "Narrow is the Path to Darkness" and everything about this track just seems to sum up what Foscor, and this album, are about. The title itself is memorable because of the imagery that it creates and the track isn’t your standard Black Metal stuff. It's Black Metal with beautiful melodies which sweep easily in and out of the frost bitten rasping vocals.
Musically Foscor could appeal to fans of Katatonia or even Emperor. With "The Smile Of The Sad Ones" Foscor have created what could possibly be one of my favourite album of 2007. I've knocked 0.1 off the final score since I believe that while this album is of an incredibly high quality it could still be improved upon (don’t ask me how though!). This would be an excellent addition to any Metal collection.
01 Sot Endins
02 The Smile of the Sad Ones
03 Life's Death Code
04 El Palau dels Plors
05 The Shame and the Spectre
06 L'Ombra de l'Adicció
07 Gebre
08 ...I Tornà de les Cendres
09 Narrow is the Path to Darkness
