Ask a group of black metal fans for their favorite regional sound and you’ll probably soon hear people shouting out Greece. They’re the different ones, the fun ones, the ones that think you can get some drama going without going all Aleister Crowley in Cefalù or Lindisfarne 793. Don’t get me wrong, I very much enjoy those flavors of black metal, but variety is the spice of life and that is where we call upon Greek black metal to deliver. That’s what I wanted when I listened to Caelid Dog Summer. Fell Omen got the memo.
Caelid Dog Summer brings a distinctly punk energy to the typical Greek sound from the opening notes of “Starscourge Phase 1 & 2”. Songs are fast with distinctly driving, upbeat punk drumming. It’s interesting to note that Spider of Pnyx, the sole member of Fell Omen and clearly colossal Elden Ring obsessive, is mainly listed for his percussion and electronics on previous guest appearances with Mystras and Spectral Lore. This sounds like a drummer’s album, except for the excellent guitar melodies all over the place. Spider of Pnyx picked a raw, fuzzy, even stoner production for his riffs that adds a rough hewn quality to Caelid Dog Summer, particularly when we get punk-style riffs as on “Northern Lights Bomb”. Most of the riffs and high-pitched, piercing leads and solos come straight from the trad metal playbook though, with a sometimes folky lilt to them. “Starscourge Phase 1 & 2” reminds me of Iron Maiden, “Poise on Rune” reminds me of The Lord Weird Slough Feg. There’s a nice pull and push between the two influences that keeps the energy sky high. We also get some of that electronic background on the interludes, “Caelid Dog Summer” and the outstandingly titled “The Horrors Persist But So Does Steel” to help build that sense of fantasy and break things up. It’s needed as this could otherwise be too repetitive an album, for Fell Omen have a trick and do it over and over again. It is, however, a really good trick.
In short, Fell Omen sound like early Iron Maiden got very stoned, broke into a LARP, stole everyone’s gear and caused a giant brawl. Then everybody loved them so much they invited Fell Omen to hang around, get drunk, and do it all over again. Caelid Dog Summer is infectious, fist pumping, feel alive music that can get even the grumpiest, dourest, sourest black metal fan whooping it up. I know, because I am that fan. But much as I hate fun, I love what Fell Omen have done here unconditionally.
