Faetooth

Lore & Background

Faetooth was founded in Los Angeles in 2019 by Jenna Garcia (bass, vocals), Rah Kanan (drums), Ari May (guitar, vocals), and Ashla Chavez-Razzano (guitar, vocals). That same year, they self-released the EP ...An Invocation digitally, later re-released on vinyl by Dune Altar Records in 2021. Their debut full-length album, Remnants of the Vessel, came out in 2022, also self-released digitally and on physical formats through Dune Altar, supported by the singles 'Echolalia' and 'La Sorcière.'

In 2023, Chavez-Razzano left the band to form the art-folk group Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit, and Faetooth continued as a trio. In 2024, their song 'Discarnate' from Remnants of the Vessel appeared on the Trip to California (Doom Edition) compilation by Weedian. The band released their second studio album, Labyrinthine, in 2025 on San Francisco label The Flenser, with singles 'Death of Day,' 'White Noise,' and 'Hole,' available in digital, vinyl, cassette, and CD formats.

Reader's Guide

Faetooth occupies a distinctive niche in the American doom metal scene by explicitly combining sludge metal, shoegaze, and post-metal into a style they call 'fairy-doom metal.' Their lyrical focus on folklore and spirituality sets them apart from many peers. The band's early self-released work gained enough traction to secure vinyl reissues through Dune Altar Records, and their signing to The Flenser for their second album indicates growing recognition. The departure of founding guitarist Ashla Chavez-Razzano in 2023 and the band's continuation as a trio demonstrates resilience. Their inclusion on the Weedian compilation Trip to California (Doom Edition) in 2024 further cemented their place within the doom metal community. Faetooth's discography, though limited to two albums and one EP, shows a consistent aesthetic and a willingness to explore atmospheric, folk-influenced heaviness.

Did You Know?

• The band describes their musical style as 'fairy-doom metal.'
• Their debut EP ...An Invocation was first self-released digitally in 2019, then re-released on vinyl in 2021 by Dune Altar Records.
• Founding guitarist Ashla Chavez-Razzano left in 2023 to form the art-folk group Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit.
• Their song 'Discarnate' was featured on the 2024 compilation Trip to California (Doom Edition) by Weedian.

Sound & Artistic Identity

Faetooth carves out a distinctive niche in the American doom metal landscape by weaving together elements of sludge metal, shoegaze, and post-metal into what the band themselves term "fairy-doom metal." This self-described label captures a sound that is simultaneously heavy and ethereal, drawing on the crushing weight of doom while incorporating the layered, atmospheric textures characteristic of shoegaze and the dynamic, expansive structures of post-metal. Lyrically, the group gravitates toward themes rooted in folklore and spirituality, lending their music a mythic, otherworldly quality that sets them apart from more straightforward doom acts. The result is a sonic palette where dense, sludge-tinged riffs coexist with reverb-drenched atmospheres, and where the narrative content evokes ancient stories and spiritual inquiry rather than the more conventional subject matter found across much of the broader heavy-music scene.

Formation & Early Recordings

Faetooth came together in Los Angeles in 2019, bringing four musicians into a shared creative space: Jenna Garcia on bass and vocals, Rah Kanan on drums, Ari May on guitar and vocals, and Ashla Chavez-Razzano on guitar and vocals. The group's initial output was the EP ...An Invocation, which they self-released in digital format that same year. The record found a wider physical audience in 2021 when the Los Angeles-based label Dune Altar Records put out a vinyl pressing. This early partnership with Dune Altar carried forward into the band's debut full-length, Remnants of the Vessel, released in 2022. That album followed a similar distribution model: a digital self-release paired with physical formats—vinyl, cassette, and CD—handled by Dune Altar. The two singles "Echolalia" and "La Sorcière" served as promotional vehicles for the record, introducing listeners to the band's blend of weight and atmosphere before the full album landed.

Albums & Career Progression

The band's trajectory from 2022 to 2025 reveals a steady evolution in both scope and industry positioning. After Remnants of the Vessel arrived in 2022, the group experienced a significant personnel shift in 2023 when Chavez-Razzano departed to pursue her own art-folk project, Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit. Faetooth pressed forward as a trio, and in 2024 the track "Discarnate" from their debut was selected for inclusion on the Trip to California (Doom Edition) digital compilation curated by music promoter Weedian, placing their earlier work within a broader doom context. The following year marked a new chapter: Labyrinthine, their second studio album, arrived in 2025 under the banner of San Francisco label The Flenser. Supported by three singles—"Death of Day," "White Noise," and "Hole"—the release again spanned four formats (digital, vinyl, cassette, and CD), underscoring the band's continued commitment to both digital accessibility and tangible physical media.

Lineup & Collaborative Dynamics

The personnel of Faetooth has shaped the band's sound and trajectory in meaningful ways. At their inception in 2019, the group operated as a four-piece with two guitarists—Ari May and Ashla Chavez-Razzano—sharing vocal duties alongside Jenna Garcia, while Rah Kanan anchored the rhythm section. This configuration allowed for layered guitar textures and a richer vocal interplay across the EP and debut album. The 2023 departure of Chavez-Razzano, whose post-Faetooth venture Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit leans toward art-folk, restructured the band into a trio, concentrating the guitar and vocal responsibilities on May while Garcia handled bass and vocal duties. Kanan's drumming has remained a constant throughout the band's entire run. The current three-member lineup, which produced Labyrinthine in 2025, represents a more streamlined approach, with each member covering a broader range of sonic territory than in the earlier four-piece setup. The band's official Bandcamp page and Discogs listing serve as the primary archival points for their complete output.