Behind The Tracks: Fornoth - The Ferryman And The Lock Keeper (Single) (2022)

We are Fornoth from Ireland. We have built a unique sound with Irish traditional inspiration in conjunction with our love for all things black/death/doom/sludge resulting in "bog metal" - our tongue-in-cheek name for our particular style. The music exists in a mythical world where monsters; humans; myth; legend; and our own poetic flavor all come together. From there we have an image in our mind and like to write a riff to fit each section of the song as if we had a silent movie playing that needs a soundtrack.

This single released in September 2022, "The Ferryman and the Lock Keeper" is a timeless epic that depicts a story of a very one-sided rivalry between two men: a ferryman and - you guessed it - a lock keeper! The ferryman is a simple, humble man. He lives in peace and harmony and loves sailing his ferry bringing travelers from near and far across the lakes and canals of his home. He enjoys their company and hearing the tales they tell from their ventures. But above all, he just loves sailing these welcoming waters. The lockkeeper is quite the opposite. He is a grumpy, cantankerous man who is jealous of the ferryman's jovial nature. Why should this man, who has nothing, be so happy? He works from dusk to dawn and gets paid very little compared to the lock keeper. The lock keeper in his jealousy increasingly flaunts his wealth and comfortable way of life to the ferryman as their paths entwine day by day until the lock keeper can no longer tolerate such a persistent, heartwarming, and welcoming smile as the ferrymen. One night, as the ferryman and his human cargo sleep by the banks, the lock keeper creeps onto the ship and ties the ferryman to his bed where he then proceeds to smash his boat to pieces and the final insult sets the boat ablaze. Watching this impromptu pyre burn and hearing the endless screams coming from the wreckage the lock keeper opens the lock sending the ferryman out to be lost at sea.

The B side to the single "Stranger to the Sea" is self-produced. It is less a story than it is an image. The ferryman's boat burned and slowly sank to the dark depths of the ocean. In our minds, the sean-nós style vocals at the opening are a death notice of the ferryman. The music to follow is simply the boat slowly sinking, smoldering, drifting further and deeper into the sea, the glow of the embers on the burnt-out husk becoming smaller and smaller until there is simply nothing to be seen - save for what remains on the barren ocean floor; forever lost. When we began recording the song the only part written was the guitar ostinato that is the backbone of the piece, there was no melody in place. Each layer following was made up on the spot from hearing the last - an experiment for us that we think turned out rather well.

If you enjoy this single, stay tuned for our next release "Assembling Trees" coming out on all platforms on 29/10/22!