Faetooth‘s sophomore album, Labyrinthine, released on September 5, 2025, via The Flenser, marks a mesmerizing evolution for the Los Angeles-based trio—Ari May on vocals and guitar, Jenna Garcia on bass, and Rah Kanan on drums. Formed in 2019, the band self-describes their sound as “fairy doom,” a haunting fusion of doomgaze, atmospheric sludge metal, and shoegaze-tinged heaviness that conjures ethereal forests and supernatural gloom.
Labyrinthine delves into profound emotional terrains: grief, memory, uncertainty, and the subtle art of healing around personal scars.
It’s a sonic maze—sometimes crushing and visceral, other times hushed and introspective—inviting listeners to confront inner shadows without easy resolution.The album opens with “Iron Gate,” a somber portal of ethereal vocals and sludgy riffs that build into a thunderstorm of pounding drums and banshee screams, setting a tone of inescapable dread.
“Death of Day” follows with foreboding, funeral-march lyrics, while “It Washes Over” layers haunting melodies over relentless heaviness, evoking a tidal wave of sorrow. Standout “Hole,” a six-minute fever dream single, erupts from spooky meditation into devastating howls, rawly capturing the agony of facing trauma head-on.
Mid-album, “White Noise” delivers shoegaze-laced inner turmoil, lulling into false peace before bludgeoning with emotional intensity, drawn from personal diary entries.
“Eviscerate” contrasts serene tones with despairing growls, and “October” evokes autumnal melancholy laced with fleeting hope.Later tracks like the enchanting “Mater Dolorosa” offer a sonic embrace amid the storm, “The Well” provides brief calm, and the epic closer “Meet Your Maker” towers with shimmering, crushing doom, blending beauty and brutality in a cathartic finale.
Produced by Joseph Calleiro, the mix balances analog warmth with dreamlike textures, enhancing May‘s ghostly tenor and the band’s chemistry. Labyrinthine excels in its immersive depth, creating space for reflection amid despair—doom that’s soul-cleansing rather than nihilistic. An unforgettable descent worth getting lost in.
