Review by Alex Grindor on June 21, 2021.

From the dark corners of Chile spawns Fergon, a solo project (now a band) created by mastermind Jan Stones, who's latest release titled Eternal Cold Scythe shows a grandiose, raw display of melodic black metal in the vein of Dissection's early work.

Fergon's early work started in late 2020 with a couple of EPs and full lengths, which displayed an even more raw sound akin to Bathory (which Jan has stated as a prime influence in his first works). This release however is the last to be done solo, as by now Fergon has evolved into a full band. Eternal Cold Scythe has some furious bass and guitarwork, very well executed and harmonizing at every chance possible. Jan's vocals are great as well, with a mixture of high-pitched shrieks and growls intertwined wherever possible. The songs themselves, despite some of them being a bit long, are made so that the listener barely notices their length, ensnaring the listener into a great experience that, sadly, ends too quickly.

This, however, is not a surprise given the circumstances of the EP in question. Eternal Cold Scythe was actually meant to be released as a full-length album, but due to time constraints and with a new album in the works as a full band, Jan has elected to release his latest work slightly incomplete as an EP. Does this mean the music quality dropped with it? Not at all. Despite my personal thoughts with the sound, it is a great piece of work. The guitars may sound a bit "drowned" and "spacey" and the vocals may be even more drowned at moments than the guitars (some vocal passages are barely perceptible due to this) but the overall atmosphere is entrancing and captivating.

With 5 tracks and 18-minute runtime, this is a well-made EP that may have some issues in its overall sound but complements this with an excellent cold atmosphere. With this work the new era of Fergon dawns, inspired by (and practitioner of) the anti-cosmic ways presented in Dissection's "Reinkaos" albeit in a way more akin to their first 2 albums. Maybe it is a bit raw, maybe it feels unfinished, but the music quality is strong, and so I hope to hear more from Fergon in the future.

Rating: 8.3 out of 10

Review by TheOneNeverSeen on March 24, 2023.

After the rather mediocre and sometimes even weak Upon The Forgotten (I mean, look at its cover), Lankester Merrin have most certainly improved on their second full-length, offering much stronger songs and a way more pleasing sound. While not being a classic of heavy/power/pirate/whatever way this style is called metal, it is a solid release with an uplifting mood and catchy riffs.

The first major improvement is the guitar sound, which is much cleaner and thicker than on the band's debut. The drummer's performance has also improved, the cymbals no longer sound too piercing and the bass drum actually blends with the overall sound pretty well, especially on 'The Heathen' and 'Sweet Lizzie'. The bass, while not being extraordinary, fits the music, too, especially on 'Stranger'. Cat's (:D) vocals are also better, she moved away from her "nasal" signing style of Upon The Forgotten to a much more enjoyable one. The overall music became more "moving" with the single 'We Ride The Storm' and songs like 'Medusa' and 'The Heathen' offering catchy, headbangable melodies. Obviously, there are some weaker tracks, too, like 'Perfect Illusion', the pop melody and lyrics of which remind me a lot of Beast In Black (at first I even thought it's actually a cover of a pop artist's song) and 'My Journey' which doesn't possess anything particularly memorable, but they aren't bad and thus don't alter my impression of the album greatly. The riffs and solos are consistent and never become boring or unenjoyable. The song that stands out the most from the rest is undoubtedly 'Evil Lives Here', not only due to the dark "sample" at the beginning and the corresponding lyrical theme, but also due to an angrier mood conveyed through Cat's vocals and a more intense guitar melody.

The lyrical themes are the traditional might and perseverance of power metal with some traces of symphonic metal-like fantasy atmosphere we all know (the only exception being the aforementioned 'Evil Lives Here'). Although there aren't any particular standouts in terms of the lyrics, I would say overall the latter are mostly enjoyable and fit the music's inspiring mood, at the same time not becoming overly repetitive or relying on the genre's cliches.

So, Dark Mother Rises is a fine heavy metal album. Not a masterpiece, but a solid and melodic work that, I believe, is a sign of the band's bright future.

Rating: 7 out of 10