Quality black metal gets rarer and rarer to be found. One thing that has slithered its poisonous substance into the black metal is commercialism. The other usually negative aspect is so called "bedroom black metal", people record and release their train of thought without any critique from outsiders. Anyway, the quality is still there, but it needs more digging of the black soil or a good strike of luck to be found really. This is where Foscor ascend like a shining star.

In the band's native Catalan, the word "foscor" means "darkness". Foscor emphasise, that they "perform dark black metal exclusively." The band have been most of all influenced by Nordic black metal, the pretty straightforward style of it (I can easily throw some names in the air, such as old Borknagar, Satyricon and Shining). Calmer, as well as more melodic, if totally dark (at times Katatonia comes to my mind, but it's more than that alone here), passages occasionally interrupt fast music. The band are able to paint the sonic canvas with the vocals, two guitars, the bass and the drums alone, and they do not require any "help" from synths or such. All the nuances are beautifully audible. Even though it is pretty simplistic for the big part, there is a lot to be found on this album. It's not that simple, as the band touch different shades of grey too, the versatility is far richer than many a band are willing to show on a single album.

The vocals are nothing short of fantastic. They are very varying from slithering black shrieking (pretty Satyr-esque) to growls, whispers and whatnot atmosphere lifting stuff, and clean vocals that at times remind me of Voivod's Denis "Snake" Bélanger and at times they are more in gothic rock style. Sadly, no lyrics were available when I was reviewing the album, so I cannot comment on them. This also affects to the whole, simply because I feel the experience would have been much more richer and deeper if I was able to get into them and through them, to the true spirit of the band and their music.

With 'Groans to the Guilty' Foscor have an atmospheric and emotional album under their belts. There is no sun in sight on this album, just dark things. Real dark things, no lame candy horror. With the help from Foscor you'd be able to behold down from brink of the abyss. Are you wiling to do it? Do you have what it takes?

Rating: 7½ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
08/04/2009 20:17