Album Review: Æl-Fierlen – All Is Far Away (Self Released)

Independent UK blackgaze band, Æl-Fierlen, will release their debut album, ‘All Is Far Away’, on the 19th of September 2025.

A haunting style of blackgaze that stays with you long afterwards, Æl-Fierlen’s All is Far Away is an easier album to digest, as far as heaviness goes, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that it’s not an intense listen, because it is. It just so happens that the intensity comes from a more melodic place, a more atmospheric place, and a more beautiful place.

The melancholic vocals and how they mesh with varied harmonies, bursts of gazy noise, and creative blends of deep and dark melody is a striking aspect of the record. Creating a level of magnetism that is downright monumental, and ensuring the listener (in most cases) will be immersed fully across the album’s four tracks.

Four epics that deliver varying levels of captivating blackgaze sounds that create a bevy of conflicting feelings. Emotionally wrought, filled with story-telling power, downright dreamy, and crashing noise (as evident by Eðe, the most obviously blackgaze track of the four). There’s so much to unpack, and that’s before I even mention the folky aspects that give the album more layers. While they don’t sound anything like Heilung or Wardruna realistically, it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise to learn that they were inspired by those types of bands in some way or another.

Blackgaze it is though, just created by a band with an open mind and a desire to take the listener on a journey. The best thing about it? The vocals (all styles), no question.

Æl-Fierlen – All Is Far Away Track Listing:

1. To Sleep Eternal
2. Pulrose
3. Eðe
4. Ællmiht

Links

LinkTree | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok