Reviewed by Marc on 11 Nov 2010

Trails Out of Gloom is my first encounter with my fellow Canadians going under the name of Fen. Their music is somewhat hard to classify. Melodic - Metal - Progressive - Dark... are all words that can describe some of the songs on Trails Out of Gloom. Happy - joyfull - optimistic... are not words I would use.

Trails Out of Gloom is an excellent CD for those into the darker heavier side of Prog. Bands like Anathema, Opeth (without the growls) and Soundgarden are all pretty good references to describe Fen; perhaps Anathema being the closest. One the the great qualities of this band is their lead singer Doug Harrison. He has a powerfull and distinctive voice, even though, at times, he goes overboard a bit (like when he abruptly changes into his falsetto). All the tracks on this CD are excellent so Trails Out of Gloom is a good listen from start to finish.

If you are a fan of the bands I have listed in this review, you should certainly check Fen out. If you already like them, Trails Out of Gloom will not disappoint you. Go to their Myspace page and take a listen. Recommended.