Far too often, there is the assumption that colder, northern countries are the only ones to make truly heavy metal (I’m looking at you, Norway). However, our metal brethren Firmam3ent from sunny Madrid have set out to disprove that misconception, bringing with them some seriously hard metal.
Formed in late 2013, the Spanish quartet have constantly been working towards the release of their debut album Firmament, released in July 2016. Firmam3nt have a truly unique sound, a combination of postmetal and prog, with lashings of doom thrown in for good measure. The result is an insanely sludgy sound which manages to display massive walls of sound, heavy enough to put you on your ass. They are an instrumental band, a style which is all too often underutilized in the genre. This allows them to really show off their fantastic skills in their respected instruments.
Not doing anything in half-measures, Firmam3nt have adopted the age-old prog tradition of playing elongated songs, meaning that this isn’t a band you listen to if you’re in a hurry! “North” lasts a whopping 14 minutes, a single song longer than most grindcore albums in their entirety! The length of the song though does mean that the band are able to display their talents throughout, showing off their doomish guitar riffs and fast-paced drums. On the other side of the coin though, their ability to play at a gentle and relaxed pace, with the entire band coming together in a harmonious sound is also expertly portrayed.
This is simply one song from the album, and I can guarantee that the rest of the album is just as fantastic. A unique, diverse, and all-round heavy sound from Firmam3nt, make sure to check out their debut, Firmament, now.
Firmament is available now.
