Fleurety, although drawing very limited attention in their earlier years, are nowadays well known as another Norwegian band that began immersed in the black metal scene and eventually transcended the classical void. Such maniacal genre-inverting leaps typically attract unnecessary critical acclaim; more often than not, the group simply consists of incompetent musicians that are trying to swing for something with a greater esoteric appeal. Fortunately, Fleurety prove an exception to the rule - following a path that parallels heavily with In the Woods and Ulver, these guys have not only released excellent material in both fields but during the transitional phase as well. Many lesser outfits have fallen flat on their faces making similar attempts, and once the perilous road has been taken, it is usually very difficult to reconstruct the severed ties.

Min Tid Skal Komme is the transitional album and the first full-length debut. Basically characterized by a loose-jazz feeling throughout, it is essentially driven in almost instrumental entirety by guitars; however, the interjection of keyboards (not overused), off-beat passages, and a coalition between raspy male and beautiful female vocals (sung completely in Norwegian) can not be overlooked. The songs are of the "epic" length, falling somewhere around ten minutes and succeeding where Opeth and Ved Buens Ende fail (they are actually interesting). Of course, as is typical of such releases, there are so many subtle elements that repetitive listening is almost mandatory; I was so overtaken the first time around that I almost missed the mysterious and subdued drumming. Favorite tracks probably include "Fragmenter av en Fortid", "Hvilelos?", and "Englers piler har ingen brodd."

While I can never appreciate this type of Norwegian metal like I do Darkthrone or Manes, Fleurety prove once again that the apocalyptic transgression can work if the band has enough talent to do so.

© 2000 hando