I had been anxiously awaiting the return of FER DE LANCE.
The band had caught my attention from the very start, with the “Colossus” EP in 2020, and their full-length debut “The Hyperborean” became one of my favorite albums of 2022.
And now, the time has come, three years later, the band releases their sophomore effort, titled “Fires On The Mountainside”, once again via Cruz del Sur Music.
Let me be absolutely clear: the band’s lineup remains unchanged, and so does the style that was forged on the debut—a dark, yet crystalline form of epic heavy metal, loaded with the weight of doom and the drive of power metal. A glorious fusion that intertwines the fog-drenched Viking era of BATHORY with the exalted bursts of the later, symphonic/choral works of MANOWAR (now that’s a marriage!), evoking everything from reborn SCALD, late SORCERER and DOOMSWORD, to ATLANTEAN KODEX, later DOMINE, and EREB ALTOR.
Blackened undertones, fierce folk hues, acoustic interludes and choral polyphony, a relentless pace and urgent tension—everything demanded from a truly EPIC creation is here, brimming with drama and vivid musical storytelling.
So let me just say it upfront: “Fires On The Mountainside” is a TOP-TIER metal opus, and FER DE LANCE have truly outdone themselves on this album. MP (vocals, lead guitars), Rόst (bass), Scud (drums), and J. Geist (guitars) deliver a masterfully produced, immaculately clear album that impresses on all fronts. Sophisticated compositions with smart developments and solid structures—but above all, an UNMATCHED HAUNTING ATMOSPHERE that runs through the entire tracklist, from start to finish.
The album kicks off with the title track, a perfect encapsulation of the thrilling acoustic journey the record has to offer—epic heavy metal with lyricism and proud galloping rhythm, raw strength and rousing choral parts.
A peerless revolutionary anthem!
“I see fires on the mountainside, I see through all the lies
Now and never was it ours, as sails moved by wind
Fire dancing on the water, lighting places we have never been
Now fly out farther than ever, past the winds and waves of the sea
Fire-horizon shining and then I became We
Now we see fires on the mountainside
A clarion call as it grows
We see fires on the mountainside
Where the wild wind blows true”
Before we can catch our breath, a folk melody welcomes us into “Ravens Fly (Dreams of Daidalos)”, and a strong, pounding track takes off. Next comes “Death Thrives (Where Walls Divide)”, leaning into a more doom-oriented tone but once again laced with folk touches; this one is a bittersweet hymn, full of meaning and crushing weight. “Fire & Gold” follows—a true anthem. Simple in conception, but it unfolds with sheer grandeur, becoming a signature piece for the FER DE LANCE sound.
After the 13-minute opening track “Fires On The Mountainside”, the 9-minute “The Feast of Echoes” is the second-longest song on the album. It leans more toward the descriptive side and doesn’t fully offer the multi-layered expressiveness of the earlier tracks. Along with “Children of Sky and Sea”, which comes next, they form a kind of DIO-era BLACK SABBATH musical homage—interesting and distinctive in its own right, but due to its length, it causes a slight dip in momentum within an otherwise flawless album.
However, the finale with “Tempest Stele” not only restores everything to its rightful place -at the top heights of imaginative inspiration- but catapults the album into the heavens. This closing track brings back the magic of folk, with violin and an Eastern-tinged crescendo, and suddenly, abruptly, it leaves us with a silence that makes your heart pound— WHY ISN’T THERE MORE?
But nearly 50 minutes have already passed, and the record has given us everything—really, there is nothing more one could ask for.
And so, just like that, you play it again from the beginning.
“Shining in the forest
Gleaming through the storm
Lighten the spirit, lifting
Where once was night
Shines ever bright
And keeps the living warm
I see fires on the mountainside
And with the light, I see…”
“Fires On The Mountainside” will be released on June 27th by Cruz del Sur Music on both CD and LP.
Check the discussion about the album in our forum pages.
You can pre order both the CD and LP here.
