FearTheBear (FTB) is Björn Holm; he’s been with us once before, back in November 2023, and he is unusual in his ability to generate powerful, instrumental, often cinematic and sometimes dark, moody music on his own in his “one-man solo orchestral project”.
He’s a little bit like Norway’s Nicolay Løvvold, who is from the same neck of the woods, writes similar hard rock/metal music and plays everything himself, but in the neighbouring country, and who is more prolific so he’s here more often.
Both are quite capable of drumming up the sort of menace and tension that you’d expect in a classic Nordic Noir TV drama. I say that quite often but it’s amazing how many of the musicians in that region are capable of creating that tension.
Otherwise it’s a task to place FTB wholly in any typical genre other than ‘northern’. Being one of those myself, I feel an affinity but I’m a city boy while he is undoubtedly shaped by nature.
Now having said that, the titles of some of the songs on ‘The Northerner’ do hint at a city location. Or is it just because so much is happening in my country at the moment that I can relate his music to?
For example, titles like ‘Resistance Now!’, ‘Where the Brave Lives Forever’ and ‘Evil Walks Amongst Us (to the Fallen Ones)’ are suggestive of a struggle against powerful forces that are attempting to undermine the future wellbeing of the people.
If that wasn’t the intention then I congratulate him for writing work than can be interpreted in a multitude of ways.
It was hard to pick a sample track. I settled eventually for ‘Evil Walks Amongst Us (to the Fallen Ones)’ which is the moodiest one of the lot.
I always think it helps when you can readily attach an interpretation of your own to a song even if it is far away from the artist’s original intention and that’s what I did here. On 13th September a huge march will take place in London which is essentially a free speech rally. But there will be a counter demonstration.
This time I expect the centre cannot hold and what will be released will mark the beginning of the end for the UK as a cohesive nation.
And this is a perfect piece of music, from its opening growling rumble, to its supercharged synthesisers, to its fuzzy distorted guitars to underscore such a catastrophic Armageddon. Just as it would have fitted the seminal 1980s BBC TV drama ‘Threads’, now being replayed regularly and worryingly, about a nuclear attack on the UK and its 15-year aftermath.
The opening statement on FTB’s website says “Instrumental music is undoubtedly underrated”.
Not here it isn’t, mate.
Find him on:
Website: https://fearthebearswe.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095398488304
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fearthebearswe/
