Album Review: Fissure of Riddles – The Marble Realm (Self Released)

The Marble Realm is the new album from English progressive sludge metal band, Fissure of Riddles. It is the follow up to their last voyage ‘Nemea’ (2018) and was released on April 1st, 2022.

With a touching and almost folksy intro, Loathe and Behold builds melodic power, drip-feeding a more intense tone as it transitions into Flakey Derelict. The changing direction, so subtle and expertly done, it creates a strong sense of excitement without really doing too much. Excitement to hear how things develop further, to hear just how progressive and sludgy things get.

Fissure of Riddles continue to take their sweet time though making the switch to harsher vocals and dirtier instruments all the more mind-blowing. Here, we get a track that constantly evolves and constantly surprises. You can never predict the course that Fissure of Riddles will go on, but you will be grinning with glee as a passenger.

Delivering nothing but epics, multifaceted and concentrated epics, Fissure of Riddles really impress on Long Term Death and The Quandary. The former sees the band abandon reason for madness as they deliver a cacophony of sludgy noise. Akin to wading through a thick swamp, the exhaustion threatens to send you sinking into the mire but the progressive light in the distance encourages you to keep moving forward.

The latter, a chunky and doom-infused blast of unadulterated heaviness. Fissure of Riddles at their most intense sounding.

It’s something a bit shorter with Primitive Grip, for good reason too, as the final track In Her Marble Realm is over 13-minutes long. Before that though, Fissure of Riddles come out with an off-kilter melody and disconcerting feeling of isolation. A bit of a chance to take a breather before the massive finale arrives.

Speaking of which… what we have here is a filthy culmination that sees the band run the entire gambit of what they are capable of. Delivering a gargantuan, molasses covered and explosive example of progressive sludge brilliance. One that takes you on a journey into deep and dark depths, where light struggles to reach and the only sounds heard is the hammering of your own heartbeat.

It’s a near-indescribable finish that confirms this album as one that needs to be heard.

Fissure of Riddles – The Marble Realm Full Track Listing:

1. Loathe & Behold
2. Flakey Derelict
3. Long Term Death
4. The Quandary
5. Primitive Grip
6. In Her Marble Realm

Links

Bandcamp | Facebook