{"id":68740,"date":"2018-04-21T00:00:45","date_gmt":"2018-04-21T00:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=68740"},"modified":"2018-04-30T13:46:53","modified_gmt":"2018-04-30T13:46:53","slug":"album-review-fungus-exodus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-fungus-exodus\/","title":{"rendered":"FUNGUS – Exodus (2018) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

FUNGUS
Exodus<\/strong><\/span>
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\nSelf-released (2018)<\/span>
Rating: 8\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Exodus<\/em> is the third opus from this Madrid, Spain-based quartet that formed back in 2001, but has only been prolific record-wise since 2013.<\/p>\n

Fungus really is an interesting bunch because I\u2019ve seen people describe these guys as \u201cstoner metal\u201d when clearly there\u2019s a lot more to their arsenal. Just slap on this new album and become immersed by the thrashing menace of opener \u2018Under A Red Sky\u2019; a feisty, rollicking slab of devilish metal combining traditional metal prowess, springs of power metal and that thrash framework with a foundation of chugging riffs.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t stoner metal, it\u2019s straight up 80s styled heavy metal featuring vocals that wouldn\u2019t seem out of place on a power metal release from that creaky era. Bassist Fernan \u201cMatus\u201d has an attention-grabbing style to his vocal tones, commanding from the hilltop like some town crier of doom while behind him the steady flow of Fernando Barco\u2019s riffs rumble with dark majesty.<\/p>\n

\u2018Shield Wall\u2019 merges that classic metal chime with an ominous traipse before suddenly a clattering chunk of galloping speed takes over, while \u2018Stirling Bridge\u2019, one of my favourite tracks, rumbles like some rusty old Manilla Road cut. The keyboards of Miguel \u201cWilly\u201d add flavour throughout the record, not overwhelming the tracks but instead providing an atmospheric haze, supplying a retro feel to that already creaky, antique grumble.<\/p>\n

The trickling bass signals the start of the trudging \u2018Warrior Woman\u2019, another infectious doomscape which melts into the excellent \u2018Wadi Rum\u2019. The latter oozes thick crusty waves of black foam and Fernan\u2019s vocal style alters its direction, coming across more like a choppy slurp. It\u2019s essentially doomy but not strictly doom metal, if that makes sense?<\/p>\n

Fungus provide a sound that feels and sounds aged, like some lo-fi cult gem from the mid 80s; musty in odour, rich and heaving. The title track fizzes with a bluesy-psych opening chord which actually does nod to a stoner-type vibe, and yet even through its weight it remains probably the album\u2019s most refreshing and almost, contemporary structure.<\/p>\n

\u2018Eaters Of The Dead\u2019 is another mighty slab of slow-burning metal. Here, the combo build a foundation of steady drum plods and a simmering guitar and bass to create an almost cosmic sheen. But when the pace finally quickens we get a real feeling of dread, the track fully unravelling as a classy, almost majestic slice of up-tempo doom, if such a thing exists?<\/p>\n

And by the time closer \u2018Lash Of Thunder\u2019 strikes in with purpose like some crossover cauldron of punk, metal and doom, you\u2019ll be throwing up the horns and casting eerie shadows on the wall as the candle flames flicker to the vibrant and refreshing sound that is Fungus.<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FUNGUSExodus Self-released (2018)Rating: 8\/10 Exodus is the third opus from this Madrid, Spain-based quartet that formed back in 2001, but has only been prolific record-wise since 2013. Fungus really is an interesting bunch because I\u2019ve seen people describe these guys as \u201cstoner metal\u201d when clearly there\u2019s a lot more to their arsenal. Just slap on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,3960],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-fungus"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68740"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68740\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68742,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68740\/revisions\/68742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}