Faustcoven is a Black/Doom Metal band from Norway, started in 2002 by sole member Gunnar Hansen (with Johnny Tombthrasher, and Terje Kraaboel having contributed live drums in the studio). The sound of Faustcoven however, is far removed from what one usually expects from Norwegian Black Metal, being mainly inspired by the first wave of Black Metal, trad./proto Doom and classic Heavy Metal of all shapes.
The production is bassy and heavy not the usual trebly & thin B.M.-production, the riffs groovy and midpaced instead of tremolo raping two note melodies, and no blastbeats are to be seen for miles around. Instead of frozen forests and evil elves, the atmosphere of Faustcoven invokes horror and DOOM. Oh yeah, and; No corpsepaint! Neither is Faustcoven a Funeral Doom band in disguise, the riffs are more dynamic, trying to follow the lead of Sabbath, Pentagram and Hellhammer/Celtic Frost rather than the more static, droney riffs many other Black/Doom bands use. The most modern part of Faustcoven is probably the extensive use of dissonance, lending a sense of eeriness to the music, but the total package is one mans personal time machine back into the 80’s (and sometimes even the 70’s).
Signed on die hard old school label Barbarian Wrath, the discography of Faustcoven so far apart from demos, includes 2 full lengths (The Halo of Burning Wings (2003) and Rising From Below the Earth (2008)) and one 7’’ split with fellow Norwegian band Koldbrann released in 2006.
The next several months will also see the two albums released as LP’s on legendary vinyl label Nuclear War Now!, a demo/rehearsal anthology on Under the Sign of Garazel, and a split 7’’ on Iron Tyrant with German labelmates Cultes des Goules. The next full-length, tentatively titled “Hellfire & Funeral Bells” is also in the works, although it will not be released anytime soon.
While representing a rebellion against everything modern, gothy and sterile, as well as the so called old school mid 90’s clichés of Black Metal, firmly rooted in the underground, what Faustcoven first and foremost is, is a passionate declaration of love for everything that was great about 70’s and 80’s Metal, and a salute to the gods of the riff.
