Fallen - Fallen (CD) Digipak

epic funeral doom, Solitude Productions, Solitude Productions
666.67 Р
Price in points: 1000 points
SP. 107-15 xs
Out of stock
Solitude Productions is proud to present an anthology of Fallen! Established by the members of the cult Norwegian band Funeral, Fallen have released in 2004 the only one full-length album "A Tragedie`s Bitter End" with a very limited number of copies. After numerous excited reviews from fans and special magazines the musicians began to prepare material for a new album, but after the tragic death of guitarist Christian Loos the activity of the group has been stopped. However, the two tracks that the band managed to record for the new album were preserved, and this 23-minutes long material is added to the original album "A Tragedie`s Bitter End" in this special release. Now every fan of the genre can listen to all the stuff ever being recorded by Fallen. Those who have not yet heard the Fallen, will meet the unique and inimitable music: a harmonious blend of pure low majestic vocals, ideal for traditional epic doom metal, low tuned guitars, typical for funeral doom metal, atmospheric keys, and tunes capturing the imagination. The anthology comes as a beautifully designed six-panel digipack.

Tracklist:
1 Gravdans 10:42
2 Weary And Wretched 14:26
3 To The Fallen 3:24
4 Morphia 6:56
5 Now That I Die 17:44
6 The Funeral 2:58
7 Drink Deep My Wounds 15:28
8 Persephone - A Gathering Of Flowers 8:02

Artist:
Fallen
Artist Country:
Norway
Album Year:
2015
Title:
Fallen
Genre:
epic funeral doom
Format:
CD
Type:
CD Album
Package:
Digipak
Label:
Solitude Productions
Cat Num:
SP. 107-15
Release Year:
2015
Barcode:
4627080610835
Country Of Manufacture:
Russia
Review
Gorgers Metall
03.08.2015

I could have re-used the very same prologue as on the Impression below, but I'm not quite that lazy.
When I wrote “the similarities ends there” I might have been a bit hasty jumping to that conclusion. There are several musical similarities, though the two bands expression differs slightly.
This is released as a compilation, but Fallen may just as easily be regarded as a re-release of the band's dйbut, and only album, A Tragedy's Bitter End, released in limited edition on Aftermath Music in 2004, now including two bonus tracks.
The band was starting in 1996 and released a two track demo in 2004. I can't guarantee that the trio behind the demo also founded the band, or if any of them tagged along afterwards. Drummer Anders Eek and guitarist Christian Loos came both from the band Funeral, while vocalist, keyboardist, guitarist and bassist Kjetil Ottersen joined Funeral's ranks in 2001.
Both songs from the demo was brought along to the dйbut. The two bonus tracks originated later, originally intended as material for an upcoming release that was put on hold after Christian's tragic suicide in 2006.
Anders Eek currently remains as the sole member. His future plan is reportedly to revitalize the band and release a sequel when he has gained new suffering souls to the constellation.

We shall once again embark on syrups-sticky musical paths where the tristesse reigns. Besides being even darker than Funeral in aural clothing, the biggest difference is the vocals. We need to lower the choral frequency by a few octaves. Right down to the clean vocal basement, where Kjetil sings darker than Peter Steel (Type O Negative). Not at all times, admittedly, but more than enough to make a characteristic part of the band's early expressions.
Whether this dark form of vocal can be defined as a baritone, I'm not going to claim in a cocksure matter, for it doesn't hold the warm bass sound that the vocals form tends to be known for.

The light in the end of the tunnel that the vocals added to Funeral is lacking here. Even the uplifting guitar playing that the latter used is absent. What? Didn't I mention that? Go figure.
If gloomy piano, melancholic flute or weeping violin strings can be seen as mitigating elements, they are the only encouraging circumstances in the darkness this time.

The expression Fallen conveys, or should I say preaches, is theatrical, with a taste of monastery and burial. It provides tracks from barely 3 to nearly 18 minutes, and the entire ceremony lasts for almost 80 minutes, of which A Tragedy's Bitter End occupies 56.

The sound carries a moderate touch of dйbut. The sound is certainly not bad, and it fits the dystopian landscape well, but it varies a bit too much from song to song, and it requires some volume to “show its true face” as well. The dynamic range is high in the two small clips To the Fallen (DR10) and The Funeral (DR11), but that's quite normal for minimalistic instrumental tracks consisting of piano keys and fiddle strings. The real songs cover a wide range from poor DR4 to very good DR9.

As in the case of Funeral, several of these songs could have had a stronger structure, but there's also a lot of goodies hidden in the grooves. The album also grows over time, and patience is thus a most necessary virtue. Fallen offers a consistent funeral march which admittedly could have provided a more solid material, but that still makes itselves useful just as it appears. A Pretty Good release of the exceptionally down-tuned kind, both in atmosphere, vocals and instrumentation.
Review
Impatto Sonoro
29.09.2015

Continuano le edizioni speciali per il decimo anniversario di vita dell’etichetta russa Solitude Production con l’antologia del progetto Fallen. Un funeral doom che non deluderà nemmeno i palati più esigenti.

I Fallen, un gruppo norvegese dei primi anni zero, hanno inciso un solo disco. A Tragedy’s Bitter End uscì per la Aftermath Music che probabilmente vi ricorderete per aver supportato personaggi come Shape Of Despair, The Funeral Orchestra e Runemagick. È un disco molto meno funesto della media del genere e tende a dar spazio ad una epicità liturgica e guerriera. Immaginate di trovarvi su un campo da guerra come nella battaglia della foresta di Teutoburgo. Sangue, lacrime, scintillio delle spade e un coro di sottofondo che rievoca i momenti cruciali del conflitto. Telecronaca dall’inferno senza possibilità di redenzione. Se la voce pulita e evocativa di Kjetil Ottersen rappresenta un punto di forza dell’opera, la componente dronica è un altro elemento cruciale che apre le strade a vibrazioni, ossessioni e contaminazioni con correnti più elettriche. Un album che scorre via in un attimo. In questa nuova versione troviamo l’intero A Tragedy’s Bitter End comprendente la demo del 2004 più altri due pezzi. Queste due canzoni furono registrate per il secondo disco mai venuto alla luce a causa della morte prematura del chitarrista Christian Loos. Drink Deep My Wounds vi instaurerà un collasso neurologico dopo avervi riempito la mente di rumori, disagio e scape cinematografici. La magnifica e fantasmagorica voce di Ottersen offre anche qui quel tocco narrativo, unico e epico alla produzione. Curiosissima e molto oscura Persephone. Altro non è che la cover del famoso brano dei Dead Can Dance, proveniente dall’ormai trentenne Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun. Viene amarezza a pensare quanto talento sia stato sprecato, perchè un album è troppo poco per un gruppo così. È importante dire che il materiale extra in questo caso è molto buono, si amalgama perfettamente con il resto dei pezzi e la grafica nonchè il packaging risultano azzeccati e convincenti.

La Solitude Produsctions propone l’antologia di uno dei pilastri del metallo nero dei primi anni zero e riesce a racchiudere il tutto in un unico disco della durata di ottanta minuti. Se non conoscete i Fallen, reperite subito questo disco. Se,invece, siete dei fanatici e mangiate pane e desolazione tutto il giorno, i venti e passa minuti di materiale extra vi stuzzicheranno a dovere.

Author: Fabio La Donna
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