Febrvvm - Breaking the Broken

After releasing their album "Apokastasic" earlier in the year, Febrvvm has powered through to craft their sophomore album "Breaking the Broken". Febrvvm has stated that he decided to take a darker route on this album, exploring themes of stoicism and Platonism masked by trivial complaints and hopelessness. Greco-Roman philosophy and mythology are also sprinkled into the mix, as well as self-irony, though Febrvvm states that those elements are rather hard to spot. 

The album gets a great start with an almost martial industrial song titled 'Carving Your Headstone". A bleak piece filled with moving winds and powerful drums, it gives out that sense of hopelessness Febrvvm called for. His vocals also match the flow of the song, never becoming overbearing but matching the downtrodden theme. However, this wonderful introduction doesn't hold the album together for long as a familiar complaint returned as soon as I got to the next track. 

One of the major complaints from their previous effort that is still an issue on "Breaking the Broken" is Febrvvm's vocals. Febrvvm's vocals are usually deep and filled with dread, which is standard for the genre. However, on every track that they appear the vocals do not match the instrumentals present. Taking a look at the beginning of 'Wounded When You Wake Up', for example, shows a doom metal inspired progression. However, right off the bat Febrvvm's vocals are on top of the mix and can't follow the pacing of the instruments. There is another sore case of this blunder on 'Eidolon'. It sounds like someone's madly raving over the top of this awesome doom metal inspired song; he's not going with the chords and his spoken word delivery just does not match up at all. Febrvvm either needs to find a way to match pace with his own music or he needs to find a vocalist to join him in his escapades. 



"Breaking the Broken" has a problem with being hit and miss, and also having a confusing mix. For example, 'Carving Your Headstone' has crisp and clear production and it arguably a song that will make it onto my personal playlists. However, if I skip to a track like 'Sybil', it sounds as if its the work of two separate projects. Rather than sounding like a finished product, the black metal inspired single sounds as if its still in the demo stages without a proper master. This issue returned on multiple songs such as 'Beauty Of The Broken Things', 'A Song For Someone Else', and 'Sentimental Breakdown'. 

Despite those complaints, however, I have to give credit where credit is due. Despite my displeasure with Febrvvm's vocal offerings, the music on 'Eidolon' is rather grand. The match-up of doom metal hijinks and dark ambient textures is creative and keeps the bar high. Febrvvm also manages to flirt with his industrial side on 'Two Eagles And A Pregnant Rabbit'. The darkened electronics and grim guitars intertwine for a fascinating result. 

Febrvvm's sophomore album does show a sign of some maturity but there are several issues that still need to be addressed. A proper mix and master along with quality control to ensure a similar standard across all songs is a must. Jumping from one song that sounds complete to another that sounds as if its still in its demo stages is a no go for me. Febrvvm's vocals also need a massive improvement; when the vocals and music do not flow with one another, there's a problem. And this happens more often than not as Febrvvm's voice dominates the mix. This is an exceptional problem considering Febrvvm's voice is so clean in comparison to the raw instruments he's presenting. There are some redeemable qualities about "Breaking the Broken" but, for the most part, it is a let down. Five out of ten. 

This review was commissioned through our Ko-fi page.
Nov 22 2021