By: Richard Maw
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 29/09/2017
Label: Shadow
Kingdom Records
Over its six tracks, “Allure of The
Fallen” proves itself to be a record of originality and darkness- a most
unusual record to fall under the death metal genre banner and one that is sure
to have listeners converted to the band's sound and style.
“Allure of The Fallen”CD//DD//LP track
listing:
1. Allure Of The Fallen
2. Light’s Dissolution
3. The Perceiver
4. Unanswered
5. Shorn
6. The Promise Of Solace
2. Light’s Dissolution
3. The Perceiver
4. Unanswered
5. Shorn
6. The Promise Of Solace
The Review:
Newcastle's
Horrified return with another full blooded slice of epic
death, mixed with blackened melodies. The band have quite a work rate, being as
this full length comes only a year after the last. Now on the stronghold label
of all things metal, Shadow Kingdom, the
band are able to capitalise on their hard work with proper distribution and
promotion. Six tracks, with only one dipping below six minutes means that each
song covers a lot of ground. The opening title track sets the tone and I have
to say, I liked it immediately. It's dark and deadly with some spiked melodies
in the guitar work.
This
is not a brutal “never-ending-blast-beat” type album; rather it is an exercise
in dynamics and atmosphere as much as an exercise in extremity. “Light's Dissolution”, in all honesty,
would fit into any Dissection album you
can care to name and the band alternate tempos and riffs with superb dexterity.
By the time of “The Perceiver”, the
album template is set: roaming bass work, surprisingly effective guitar melodies
and solid drumming in the old school style. The vocals of Daniel Alderson fit
into the “howl from the depths of a cave” variety and work very well- reverb
drenched and set not too high in the mix.
Some
clean and dark guitar tones start off “Unanswered”
as the band experiment with mood (still as black as pitch, mind) and texture.
Make no mistake, this is not death metal in the Florida or even Swedish style,
but is instead an amalgum of the darker sounds of death and black metal from
the previous 30 or so years of the genres. Likewise, “Shorn” switches gears and pace downwards for a sub six minutes slow
trawl of unchartered waters.
The
poetically titled “The Promise of Solace”
closes the record with close to ten minutes of bleakness; grinding riffage,
some unusual tempos and anguished vocals are the order of the day here. Over
its six tracks, “Allure of The Fallen” proves
itself to be a record of originality and darkness- a most unusual record to
fall under the death metal genre banner and one that is sure to have listeners
converted to the band's sound and style.
“Allure of
the Fallen”
is available here
