Spain is perhaps not the first country everyone thinks of when you're talking about Black Metal bands, but it is from these unexpected shores that FOSCOR have arisen. With one and a half decades of experience behind them, FOSCOR is back with their fourth full-length album "Those Horrors Wither", unleashed unto the world at the end of last year. The band themselves claim to have attained new heights in terms of technicality on this album, meshing together sounds from a range of different genres, giving FOSCOR a new breath of life. And indeed, this album has seen the band move further and further into the uncharted murky waters of Progressive Metal.

FOSCOR don't beat around the bush, launching straight into the drudge-tinged "Whirl of Dread". The clean vocals intertwine with the guitar melodies, whilst the harsher grated vocals add darker undertows to the song, and strong bass lines weave it all together, leaving guitar leads to build on the emotional climax. "Addiction" sees FOSCOR take a giant leap away from the boundaries of anything Black Metal related, with bizarre modulations coupled with almost psychedelic vocals twisting soundscapes flowing through a maze-like kaleidoscope with the fleetingness of quicksilver. I could wax lyrical about each of the songs on this album, but suffice it to say that the band has managed to capture seething and ethereal emotions with uncanny ease, completely captivating you and taking you on a soul-searching rollercoaster of a ride. Plunging you to into the deepest pit of abysmal hopelessness before sending you soaring along almost celestial beauty in the blink of an eye, FOSCOR show just how well they have mastered this new sound of theirs. "Graceful Pandora" had the hairs on my arms standing on end, something which no song has managed to achieve recently. Check out the video for this amazing song below!

Overall, this is Black Metal with a very pronounced Progressive twist to it. I suppose the newer ENSLAVED would spring to mind, but FOSCOR have a unique sound that sets them miles apart from other bands in a similar genre. FOSCOR have an outstanding talent for seamlessly amalgamating a slew of different influences without a note seeming to be out of place, and it truly is a pity that this band is not more widely recognised. "Those Horrors Wither" really is an exceptional album that should be one of the prized gems of any Progressive Metal fan's collection.