Furia – Huta Luna (Review)

Furia are a black metal band from Poland and this is their sixth album.

I haven’t reviewed a Furia release before, so this offers a well-overdue chance to rectify this unfortunate situation, and cast a critical eye over what this idiosyncratic band are up to in 2023. Over time Furia have only gotten more individual and experimental, so what does Huta Luna have to offer discerning black metal fans?

Huta Luna provides a 60-minute experience that’s a tale of two different facets of Furia.

The first nine songs consist of modern black metal played with furious passion, enriched with avant-garde elements, distinctive vocals, and creative ideas that spice them up considerably. This is an atypical black metal assault, driven by remorseless blast beats, and it sounds damn good. Marrying dark violence with compelling atmosphere, this is a feast of aggressive intensity. Furia’s individual personality comes through strongly, allowing them to play black metal that’s highly engaging and with a strong voice of its own. You can hear folk influences in the music too, enhancing them with further depth of delivery.

Almost half of Huta Luna‘s running time is taken up by its tenth and final track, the sprawling Księżyc, Czyli Słońce. Whereas the first nine tracks were relentless examples of contemporary, yet non-standard, black metal viciousness, the closing song is quite different. Księżyc, Czyli Słońce offers listeners a calm respite from Furia’s blackened attack, allowing waves of ambient soundscapes, hypnotic drone, and delicate introspective detailing, to wash over them. There’s a noise component to the piece too, adding a degree of uncertainty to proceedings that works well within the sparse atmospheric sounds of the music’s primary sea of drone. Despite its tranquil nature, there’s a strong note of tension and unease that runs throughout the track, making it far more absorbing than it might otherwise be. Meditative and contemplative, Księżyc, Czyli Słońce is potentially a track that you might not always be in the mood for, but it’s a well-crafted example of minimalist drone that does its job capably.

Effectively an album of two halves, the first finds Furia’s black metal aspect in ascendance, while the second plays to their strengths as an experimental, drone artist.

Very highly recommended.

Find out more here.