Released in February of this year, the dust has not even had a chance to settle on the Fell Omen debut offering, Invaded By A Dark Spirit. Now Fell Omen, the Greek Black Metal solo project masterminded by Spider of Pnyx, returns with the follow-up, Caelid Dog Summer.
Fell Omen – Caelid Dog Summer
Release Date: 15 August 2025
Words: Jools Green
Caelid Dog Summer finds Fell Omen driving the project into an even harsher, more chaotic territory, again melding elements of classic Heavy Metal with punk aggression and primitive Black Metal into a raw and exhilarating assault upon our senses.
“The second Fell Omen album was made while people were still digesting the sound and production of the debut,” Spider told us, “which was a bit controversial for some of them. After careful consideration, I decided to ignore the people hating on the old tape sound, and I just made it worse by introducing a lot of flangers and phasers.
“I tried to make it MORE Fell Omen in every way. It has more Heavy Metal riffs, more solos, more punk and more dungeon. A couple of these new tunes were first written before the OG album came out. Others are brand new, but what they have in common is that they all hurt.”
But hey, I say it is a good kind of pain.
Fell Omen continues to be a one-person operation in every aspect, composition, instrumentation, vocals, recording, and mixing, along with the artwork. So there is a nod to the punk DIY ethos too.
Spider has already built a positive reputation for his past contributions to Black Metal outfits Mystras with guest percussion work, Spectral Lore, adding noise electronics and Hurdy Gurdy, as well as his visual art under the alias Gilded Panoply, creating not just the artwork for this and the previous album but also for Auriferous Flame, Cirkeln and Μπατουσκα. So he’s a man of many talents.
The seven-track, twenty-nine-minute Caelid Dog Summer opens with Starscourge Phase One and Phase Two. This is a piece that opens gently, melodically and hauntingly reflective until an unworldly, searing squeal of strings shatters the reflective mood. We are off into a gallop, engulfed in catchy thrashy black riffs, squealing leads and all manner of excitement.
Distant screams herald the pace, direction shifting and blackening but still remaining catchy and unrelenting. Yet more screams herald another shift. Despite it being lyrically thin on the ground until well into the second half, even then, they remain distant. I actually like this immensely because it draws the listener in further. You cannot fail to be enthralled by this searingly gripping piece.
Following a soundbite of social disorder and chaos, Northern Lights Bomb unleashes a torrent of raw driving riffs. Dropping back to a slightly more reflective and melodic sound briefly, it becomes driving again when the vocals arrive. It is the carefully varied melding of these two repeating elements which makes this piece such a hypnotically engaging listen, which gradually eases in pace towards the close.
The next piece, The Horrors Persist But So Does Steel, for starters, has a great title and it lives up to its promise. Opening with a stormy soundbite, replete with tolling bell, it rips into a driving wave of riffs that have a rather good medieval sound. I do not know what instrument this is down to, but Spider is renowned for his use of the hurdy-gurdy, so it could be that.
Midway through the leadwork is searing and soaring, and the drive of “medieval” riffs is punctuated with distant acidic vocals. I love it!
The searing driver Born To Siege challenges the hypocrisy of religious and social ivory tower virtue and assaults your senses with a wall of driving riffs and acidic screams. In the second half, you get a generous blast of searing soaring leadwork.
Another track with a great title because it’s such a clever play on words is Poise On Rune. After an exotic opening soundbite, it goes on to deliver a generous dose of dark, filthy riffs. The acidic vocals course beneath with menace. In superb contrast, you get clean punk style choral of “Oooh, oh, oh, oh’s!” and chants along with a couple of unique lead blasts.
Title piece Caelid Dog Summer is an intriguing instrumental interlude before the final offering. It melds a haunting drone and building with anthemic bursts, the eerie keyboard sounds fade out to herald The Fire Is Still Warm.
This has a very old school Black Metal vibe, delivering a mid-paced plodding rhythm rich with repeating, hugely engaging icy black riffs and acidic vocals. It takes a sharper, more sinister turn midway and also delivers great lead bursts, then turns darker and slower.
The vocals become more protracted, and in the final minute, a wonderfully haunting swathe of dark, bleak leadwork chills the air. A superb final piece.
Caelid Dog Summer is hugely unique, well-versed and engaging listen end to end. Part of its charm is the lo-fi, old-school sound with just enough sharpness to make it a good listen. This is thanks to careful final mastering done at Nidstang Studio, who carefully maintained that essential raw edge and thin, clear sound.
Fell Omen release Caelid Dog Summer on 15 August 2025 via True Cult Records. It will be available as vinyl, cassette or digital download from Caelid Dog Summer | Fell Omen at Bandcamp.
