Fleurety

Min Tid Skal Komme (1995)

In a way Min Tid Skal Komme is more Black Metal by association. Fleurety was from Norway in the mid-1990s and had many connections in the scene, and whilst their music is dark and has some moments of fury/rage, the satanic evilness and occult horror of their peers has mostly been stripped away or heavily refined.  It is most definitely still music of the night, and has that wondrous musing on the universe like the best Black Metal, but it also has an abundance of calmer moments. It can be very hypnotic, at times puzzling, and is always curious in its demeanour.

The closest sounding band would probably be Ved Buens Ende, both of which share that odd-ball style that borders on avant-garde. Like Ved Buens Ende there is also some use of jazz chords and odd time signatures. However Fleurety also has a pronounced progressive rock influence, especially noticeable in the use of the bass guitar (which is very expansive and generally has its own distinct melodic lines), lengthy cleaner / acoustic sections, female vocals and inventive drumming. You really get the feeling that this is a Black Metal band trying to play music from the 1970s. Like the music of that era, Min Tid Skal Komme has a free-flowing nature and in more than a few moments, almost sounds laid-back, jammy or spacey. True to this description and to the best progressive rock, the music is able to create layers of different moods (ranging from sombre, peaceful, uplifting to depressive, enraged etc.) and is able to integrate them into a holistic vision. 

There is a sense of inference in the music, as if hinting of great catastrophes or blackest darkness (whether past or future), but never revealing these things. For example, the more 'Black Metal' parts of this album are less ferocious or sinister than their Norse counter-parts - the tremolo for instance would not be more than 2/3 of the speed of most of their peers - which creates a feeling of distance. With this style Fleurety creates great mystery that is combined with that anticipatory meditative mood that is possible before the appearance of a great storm - the vague sense of knowing what is coming,  but the fear and suspense held in details still to be revealed.