Originally formed in 2018 under the band name Drought, Fraught sought to re-establish themselves in 2019, in order to avoid falling foul to the confusion of being misunderstood and mistaken with other bands that shared the same name. With a sound saturated beneath blackened sludge and further cemented in a visceral mist of doom and dolor, you can see how Fraught’s blueprint was long established thanks to their time in bands like Coldwar, Warpath, Mortichnia, Wound Upon Wound and Slave Zero.
Musically this latest album, Transfixed on Dying Light, is a kaleidoscope of all things black and grey. It’s spiteful vocal deliveries along with its black, blast beaten percussions lay a foundation of grit and gore, while shredded guitars and pummeling bass chords raise the stakes, manifesting their sound into a tsunami of torment and trauma. Death, doom and all things wretched await you on this journey through the gloom.
The opening track, The Hunt opens with these loose, distorted chords that reverb and slowly create an air of impending fear and fury, and right on cue, the floor beneath you caves in as a barrage of menace and mayhem is unleashed. Blast beats, melody driven riffs and rasping vocals batter you mercilessly, without respite. The intent and the sheer ferocity is palpable, as each bass-kick rabbit-punches your ribcage. And that savagery doesn’t let up there, as Crimson Trail’s bloodied path is trodden and torn asunder under a maelstrom of black metal menace. Bleak and sunless, those big chunky guitar chords get stretched and pulled in all directions, and a bass solo even gets in on the act to reaffirm the brutality beneath the music.
The tempos change on tracks like Indignities Of Decay & Sublimated Misanthropy to a more melancholic and downcast state of mind. Those funereal drums and wailing guitars plunder along in mourning and churn up the sodden earth beneath with the heaviest of riffs and a vocal growl that bleeds utter torment. The music literally digs its own grave, ploughing its way down through the dirt, six feet under.
The mist and the smog is thick and heavy on the title track, Transfixed on Dying Light, and for me the highlight, or should I say lowlight of the album! Snail paced, and meandering through the depths of despair, those My Dying Bride -esque vocals carry and echo through the thick dense air, while more of those thick bass lines rumble and rattle every bone in your body. This track gets right under your skin, it’s uncomfortable… it’s sinister…. it’s unsettling…..it’s a fucking beast!.
The album closes with Prey, a three-minute soundtrack to every nightmare you’ve had. Noisy, haunting and final. So, there you have it, Fraught have gotten inside your head, and Transfixed on Dying Light will not be an easy one to shake off. Quality from start to finish.
https://fraughtband.bandcamp.com/album/transfixed-on-dying-light