The Fall Of Every Season - "Amends" (Album Review)

 By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 22/2/2013

Label: Grau Records

If you are looking for something progressive with an underground metal edge, I heartily recommend this record. In fact, I recommend this album to all music fans of each genre mentioned here and everyone else too- music of this quality deserves to be widely heard. Creative music for creative people.

“Amends”CD//DD track,listing

1) Sole Passenger (11:45)

2) A Portrayal (2:23)

3) The Mammoth (13:26)

4) Aurelia (11:38)

5) Come Waves 1(4:06)

The Fall Of Every Season is:

Marius Strand | Vocals, instruments & programming

The Review

Progressive doom/death from Norway... In many ways that sums up this fine and atmospheric album. A one man project of startling breadth and depth, the slow build up on “Sole Passenger” gives way to a death-ish section which in turn leads to an Opeth-esque shift in vibe. The track stretches towards the 12 minute mark effortlessly. Melancholy is very much the order of the day here. The Facebook page boasts of a concept to the record, but without further listening or booklet/lyrics I am none the wiser, sadly.

Regardless of understanding, I certainly enjoyed the album! “A Portrayal” gives us just under two and a half minutes of acoustic wistfulness. As you would expect from an artist based in Trondheim, the feel is cold and the sound full of echo. “The Mammoth” follows with close to 15 minutes of prog perfection. I guarantee that you will be struck by how complimentary each instrument is for the others used on this record.

It is always a danger with singular artist projects that one instrument is given prescience over others, or all do very similar things- rhythmically and melodically. There is no trace of that here- the record really does sound as if it was played by a band; a very cohesive one at that. The amount of time and energy that has to go into something like this, as a lone venture must be simply staggering- no wonder that there has been a five year gap between the first record and this one.

The doom passage that closes “The Mammoth” is very Anathema or even Paradise Lost in feel and sets up “Aurelia” well, being as it starts with haunting acoustic guitars segueing into a powerful melody/solo with forceful drums propelling the track along. Clean vocals come in before the two minute mark, with nice use made of double tracking. Marius Strand's death vocals are powerful and make a successful contrast with his clean voice. I can make out piano/keys in the mix during the seventh minute and harmony guitars predominate after that. The keys take front and centre shortly afterwards for what I would describe as a coda to the main track as waves break in the sampling.

Naturally, “Come Waves” follows with a very Paradise Lost groove to start. The following 14 minutes is no more predictable than the preceding four tracks. The tempo is low, as per, and musical changes are rung- but there is no way of guessing how the track will pan out. This is not song writing in the conventional sense, but instead gives a kind of overall musical experience.

If you are looking for something progressive with an underground metal edge, I heartily recommend this record. In fact, I recommend this album to all music fans of each genre mentioned here and everyone else too- music of this quality deserves to be widely heard. Creative music for creative people.

“Amends” is available here

Band info: Facebook