Forever Falling is a death/doom band that has been active since 2020. The group is of international origins, with vocalist John Suffering (Chalice of Suffering, Solemn Echoes) being from the United States and Tullio Carleo (Gods of Sadness, Voyage Noir) from Italy.
Their first album, “Suspended Over The Immanent,” received high praise from me—-this second full-length album "The Determinism of Essence in Matter“ shows clear progression and the band taking their sound to the next level.
"The Determinism of Essence in Matter” has six tracks, two less than their debut. However, it is a little longer so the misery has been prolonged through the use of longer structures, including the eleven minute epic “The Wind of Remembrance.”
Doom fans obviously won’t mind the longer songs/album but even those who have a less than focused attention span won’t have an issue absorbing the music. The six tragedies that make up the album are smartly constructed and their glacial pace moves quite smoothly—the seconds will tick by very easily for such sullen music.
With that being said, this is doom, so it is as heavy with the weight of emotion as it is with the riffs and vocals. The production must be praised—it has a very organic feel to it, making the music all the more cathartic and potent. This is definitely one of the more depressing doom albums I've heard in some time. But that's why it is good. Life isn't always great and for many, it seldom is. The world needs music like this, even if it doesn't understand it yet.
The opening song, “To You” perfectly encompasses the overall atmosphere and style of the album. The music is funeral dirge like, the melodic tinge anything but a respite from the grief. John's vocals, his growls, are so deep he sounds like a mountain that decided to crawl out of some abyss and begin walking. Tullio's mastery over the instruments is at once apparent. To make music this slow and devoid of so much light stay interesting is no easy feat.
The title track is up next and is slightly more immediate with melancholic but vibrant melodies crashing against the shore of the riffs and thunderous bass. It's really impressive how full this song sounds with just two members, which can be said of the album as a whole. The synergy between the vocals and music is so perfect that it's impossible to tell which was was written first but both seem to have the other in the their minds.
The orchestra part around the 4:40 mark appears at just the right moment and is a great bridge that adds in another dynamic layer while still keeping the atmosphere from dropping.
“The Touch of Ice,” is as cold and unforgiving as its namesake. The song builds up nicely, the drums in particular laying a strong foundation for the build up even as they help push attention to various parts of the song. The riffs have an old school Gothic doom approach to them. It works, especially when the bass peaks out from behind the oppressive combination of the vocals and guitar.The halfway point sees the lead guitar soaring its way through the night, building up towards a slow but sense movement afterwards.
The aforementioned “The Wind of Remembrance” begins the second half of the album on the highest of highs. The depressive lead guitar weaves a dark tale before handing the story off to some of the best riffs on the album. Subtle use of clean instruments interwoven into the heavier elements are an excellent addition, adding an unique tone of the song.The middle portion of the song is just darkly beautiful, the clean instrumentation born out of the previous realm of darkness even while they give way to their own impending doom.
“It is Absence” is a woven tapestry of melodies, harmonies, and everything that makes doom metal so goddamn great. It seems to be creating a void that sucks out all the light because around the two minute mark, the song becomes one of the most bleak on the album that is obviously saying a lot. The vocals during this movement are frightening. The later half of the song reminds me much of SATURNUS, in that light and dark elements are put together to form a new beast that captures the best of both aspects.
The final song is “September Song” and, in places, the music actually sees the tempo “speed” up to a degree. It is a fitting way to end the album. The first half is slow and cautious but then a break consisting of clean tones arrives, stretching the music to faster waters. The last few minutes of the song are very captivating with mesmerizing riffs and a sterling drum performance.
All in all, Forever Falling's "The Determinism of Essence in Matter," is a doom album that leans into its sound hard while being highlighted by miserable but clever songs. A funeral you will want to attend.
No comments:
Post a Comment