FÓRN - Repercussions of the Self

FÓRN: funeral sludge heroes embrace electronics, progress to next level, with new masterpiece "Repercussions of the Self"; first single streaming now

Persistent Vision Records announces the October 18th release of Repercussions of the Self, the new album by Fórn.

The album's opening track, "Pact of Forgetting," is now streaming on digital platforms: https://tr.ee/qzhx_DNuAV 

Pre-orders (vinyl and cassette) are scheduled to launch September 6th via Persistent Vision.

Pioneers of "funeral sludge," Fórn have been favorites of the metal underground since their formation over ten years ago. Kim Kelly, writing for SPIN in 2015, stated: "Rarely does a debut album spring forth from the womb so fully-formed and vital as Fórn’s The Departure of Consciousness... The album’s six, tense, foreboding compositions take their cues from Thou’s poisonous sludge and funeral doom’s lightless melancholia in equal measure, and come punctuated by sparse, blood-curdling howls... This album drags listeners into the utter depths of despair then leaves them there, alone, as the last light winks out."

Releasing music via labels such as Gilead Media, including a split with Yautja, the band went dark shortly after touring in support of its 2018 album, Rites of Despair. With a series of major events occurring in the personal lives of the band members – births, deaths, and relocations across four states and two countries – and with the COVID pandemic disrupting society as a whole, the years after Rites of Despair would serve as a crucial pause and reset, leading to the radical rebirth that is Repercussions of the Self.

Guitarist Joey Gonzalez reflects on that time of limbo: "I toiled away in private working on a lot of the tracks. At the time of writing the record, I was really teetering between where I wanted to take the band next. I was heavily influenced by film score composers like Cristobal Tapia De Veer and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and artists like Massive Attack and Portishead, and of course Nine Inch Nails. I spent a lot of the pandemic making music that fell somewhere in those borders and it felt natural to try and bring those elements into Fórn."

Repercussions of the Self, Fórn's first new musical creation since 2018, bursts through the speakers with god-tier grandeur, reflecting hints of those influences Gonzalez named. The album sees Fórn enter new territory, mixing the downtuned guitar-driven epics the band is known for, with a new, industrial, electronic dimension. "We always intended for the band to progress beyond the 'sludge' nametag," says Gonzalez. "We feel that this album accomplishes that mission while still keeping with our classic sound to please the headbangers."

With guest vocals by Ilsa's Orion Peter, the album's opening track, "Pact of Forgetting," introduces the band's new era – a glistening, hypnotic dirge, the song instantly summons widescreen visions of epic cinematic glory. In Gonzalez' words: "It's like emerging from a haze into turbulence. Being rattled violently and abruptly out of expectations of life and into its terrifying, endless, violent current."

Notably, Repercussions of the Self also features Lane Shi Otayonii (Elizabeth Colour Wheel) on vocals and electronics across all its six tracks. A past collaborator, Otayonii makes her debut here as a full-fledged contributing member of Fórn. Gonzalez explains: "Once we had the instrumental tracks done I had been in talks with Lane about collaborating on one song. What she sent back was, as always, immaculate and breathtaking, which was no surprise having worked with her before. From this bloomed a conversation of her joining Fórn as a member, to which she agreed. It’s been tough keeping that a secret but relieving to be able to reveal that to the world now."

Musing on the concepts that drive the new album, Gonzalez gives this statement: "Musically speaking, the theme I tried to get across is how the past is constantly recreating itself in both harmful and beautiful ways in our present. It’s about reclaiming the ability to mold ourselves and rejecting the mold others may try to cast you in." A more appropriate statement could not be made, as Repercussions of the Self shows Fórn embracing change and advancing to its next form – respecting its past whilst hurtling freely into the future.

Repercussions of the Self was engineered and mixed by Kevin Bernsten at Developing Nations in Baltimore, Maryland and mastered by James Plotkin at Plotkinworks.

The artwork is a collaboration between Alexander L. Brown and Devin Toye.

The album is Persistent Vision Records' second Fórn release; the Richmond, Virginia-based label reissued the band's 2014 debut, The Departure of Consciousness, earlier this year. Fórn is also scheduled to play Dark Days Bright Nights, the festival curated by Persistent Vision owner Paul Hansbarger and Pageninetynine guitarist Mike Taylor, in September.

Tracklist:
1) Pact of Forgetting
2) Soul Shadow
3) Hela's Choir
4) Anamnesis
5) Regrets Abyss
6) Dreams of the Blood

Lineup:
Chris Pinto - vocals
Joey Gonzalez - guitar, electronics
Danny Boyd - guitar
Brian Barbaruolo - bass
Lane Shi Otayonii - vocals, synth
Andrew Nault - live drums, electronics
Josh Brettell - recorded drums
Orion Peter - guest vocals

Upcoming shows:
Sep 12 - Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery (w/ Prisoner, Porcelain)
Sep 15 - Richmond, VA @ Dark Days Bright Nights (w/ Pageninetynine, Portrayal of Guilt)

Photos by Matt Martin

Artwork by Alexander L. Brown and Devin Toye