Fero Lux: No Rest (2016) Album Review

Aggressive in both lyrical and musical tones, Florida’s Fero Lux are charged with politically agitated songs across their sophomore LP, No Rest. The group take pride in running through the songs in jagged time signatures, sporting the mathcore label with winding guitar riffs spiraling through parts with unpredictable changes. It’s like marching into a war on the beat of a schizophrenic mind, with each step causing chaos. For this reason, it’s tough to mathematically and musically keep Fero Lux contained, but that’s exactly what they were hoping for.

Each song will have its own path into unleashing the visceral catharsis, usually through thick guitar tones and a roaring bass line. The drums help fuel the frantic pace of the songs, changing from groovy patterns to syncopated irregular timed beatdowns without warning.

“No Insignia” stampedes through the starting gate with heavy riffs building to a textbook post-hardcore chorus with harmonious vocals rising over the guitar lines. Even through the rapidly changing guitar parts, Fero Lux can create a central motif to rally behind, as evidenced by “Everything Beautiful Is Behind You.” This gives off the insight that the band are detailed and meticulous in planning how songs will play out. “Comrades” is the unlikely hero of the 12 songs, playing as a discordant ballad among an apocalyptic world of ruin.

And throughout all the rhythmic chaos, with each and every crafty turn, the lyrics still hit home with vivid imagery. “Holding our breath under water till our eyes burst. You plus I equals a procession of black cars. Them plus you perpetuates a chain of martyrs. A nihilist through and through because I was born a hypocrite just like you,” come straight from “Year of the Gnat.” It’s clever lyrics that showcase an angry horse riding full speed into the corrupt beast plummeting this world farther out of reach. The same horse on the cover, riding to either save the day or survive. No Rest is a record that takes the war into the speakers and sticks the symbolic meaning of a flag into the graves of freedom.

The Verdict:

A bit raunchy and rampant, Fero Lux are unsettled and viciously fighting back on No Rest.