While the uptick in the number of doom bands makes it difficult to find the diamonds amongst the coal, a band’s opening statement can be what brings listeners back upon successive efforts; if your debut is merely okay, most people won’t give you a second chance. Boston-based Fórn, however, pulled no punches on their harrowing, colossal debut, The Departure of Consciousness, which established them as one of the more vitriolic and downright vicious bands in modern doom/sludge. On their new EP, Weltschmerz, the band continue their solemn march into the iciest depths of the human mind while taking some stylistic turns from their debut.

Even at a brief 33-minutes in running time, Fórn’s debut was as emotionally and mentally demanding as any doom album that stretches beyond an hour. What made The Departure of Consciousness so gloriously draining was the fact that, for those 33 minutes, there was basically no reprieve; the band focused their attack into the darkest, ugliest riffs they could evoke, only occasionally allowing listeners to come back to the surface with sinister guitar melodies before dragging them back into the grimy pits of their gnarled, scorched-earth battering rhythms. Weltschmerz, then, may the equivalent of the band slowly, methodically escorting listeners into a cavern and then leaving them in the darkness, “The Cask of Amontillado” style.

Weltschmerz is divided into two parts—Saudade and Dolor— each composed of two tracks. Truthfully, the EP is best listened to as one continuous body of work, as the gaps between the section are non-existent, one track effortlessly transitioning into the next. Part I of Saudade starts far differently than the band’s debut: A clean guitar introduction reminiscent of Mournful Congregation, followed by thunderous, weighty chords, Fórn—dare I say—resemble more traditional, darkly melodic death/doom here at times. That said, the sound here is no less crushing than on the band’s debut, and the melodic riffs only amplify the intensity of Chris Pinto’s vocal performance as he switches between vengeful growls and pained howls like a man who is forever trapped on the brink of life and death. Just as Part I nearly collapses under its own weight, Part II of Saudade offers a beautiful interlude of delay-soaked tremolo picking and droning, saturated chords. It’s one of the few times that the band really give an opportunity for reflection on the listener’s end, and it works wonderfully; it’s also one of the few times I’d ever say that a “post-” type of interlude isn’t boring and meandering, mainly because Fórn are not the type of band who normally utilize melody in their emotionally crushing soundscapes to the extent they do on this EP.

It’s when Part I of Dolor kicks in that the band’s maturity is most apparent: An equally beautiful and depressive guitar riff starts the song and, short-lived as it is, is the ultimate highlight of the EP. Without hesitation, though, the band turn on a dime into the most savage and primitive sludge riffs they’ve written to date as Chris Pinto’s vocals come more unhinged than even on Part I. It recalls what the band were channeling on their debut, and the raw ugliness helps to balance the beauty from previous movements. Part II of Dolor veers heavily into drone territory and ends the EP on an anxiety-inducing blend of dissonant lead guitars over heavy, percussion-less throbs of guitar distortion, the inverse of the calming introduction at the beginning of the EP.

While Fórn proved themselves to be formidable on their debut, Weltschmerz demonstrates their ability to take some creative leaps in a short amount of time. At only 23 minutes, it is able to accomplish much in terms of atmosphere and listener involvement. If you’re a fan of doom, there’s no reason that Weltshmerz shouldn’t be on your list of things to check out before the end of the year.

– Dustin

Weltschmerz is available on 12” vinyl and digital download through Gilead Media. For more information on Fórn , visit them on Facebook and Twitter.