Genre: Black metal
Origin: Germany
Released: 2009
Website: F�ulnis
Label: Karge Welten Kunstverlag
Uploaded: 19.10.09

Right off the bat I feel I need to tell you all something; this is an album you have to hear for yourselves. There is absolutely no way I could possibly explain what this sounds like. It�s just so incredibly schizophrenic and unorthodox. F�ulnis refers to their music as �sick black art�, and the promosheet describes it as �BlackDoomPunkRock�. I don�t know, I don�t think it matters how you try to label it; you�re not going to be able to come even close to make the label fit. So how could I possibly describe it to you� I don�t know, but I�ll try.
The base of the music is undoubtedly modern black metal, but not in that ultra-blasting sense that seems to be the dominant style right now. This is rather slow, but with some ingenious tempos and tempo-changes. Riffing-wise it�s extremely cold and with a depressed edge, sometimes borderline on what would be considered depressive black metal; but this is nothing of the sort. And the vocals� I can�t remember the last time I�ve heard such nuance in the vocal department, if I�ve ever heard such nuance. They�re shouting and screaming in tons of different ways and they�re whispering and speaking in manners that paint a mental image of a demonic possession. It�s as if they�ve recorded a dozen mental patients in solitude, and then just adapted it to fit the music. Mixed in with this is some form of post-rock stuff that is somewhat reminiscent of Lifelover, but this sounds nothing like said band.
In fact, this sounds nothing like any other band I can come to think of. Instead of going for that nature atmosphere that most black metal bands do, trying to recapture the former glory of ancient gods and whatnot, F�ulnis does the exact opposite. The imagery and atmosphere is that of a cold, harsh, industrial modern society, where alienation is key. Everything about the album is just so incredibly unorthodox. There�s a dose of doom metal as well, most prominent in tracks like Angstzustand and Weisse w�nde. Whereas MorgenGrauen is an angst-ridden piece that still manages to get the adrenaline rushing like crazy with its upbeat tempo, and Tr�mmer is a terrifyingly aggressive and schizophrenic track that contains the most pure black metal traces. But reoccurring is also that explosion-effect (I don�t know what the hell it�s called, but I�m sure it has a name) in quick breakdowns that is most commonly found in slam death metal. They use it effectively and they use it well.
It feels like I could go on and on forever, trying to recapture the essence of F�ulnis� music into words, but I would fail terribly at it. There is no possible way to describe it, you just have to hear it for yourself. Rarely is a record so deserving of a full score. One of the most haunting and inventive albums I�ve ever heard.

Tracklist:
01. MorgenGrauen
02. Angstzustand
03. Weisse w�nde
04. Kopfkrieg
05. Landgang
06. Tr�mmer
07. Spiegel, splitter, schrott
08. Weltuntergang folgt