Faded Remembrance - The Blessing of Downfall

I’ve been a fan of Faded Remembrance since their debut but have never reviewed any of their albums before so I’m honored to review their third full-length album, “The Blessing of Downfall.”

This is the album I’ve always wanted them to make, too.  Their previous two efforts, while no doubt solid, sounded so similar to Paradise Lost that if I hadn’t known who it was, I would have assumed I was listening to some sort of compilation of lost Paradise Lost songs. 

“The Blessing of Downfall,” finally sees the one-man project of Tamás Albert finding its own sound while still honoring the influences.  Though those influences are worn on his sleeves, Mr. Albert’s outfit is all his own.

So, what’s changed?  What has made this album different from the others?  Why has it grabbed me so much?  It’s because the songs are really fleshed out and fully formed. Each one has a lot of ideas and takes a methodical yet smooth approach to making sure that not only is it engaging on its own but also works towards the album as a whole.  Using a trumpet, trombone, and a synthesizer to heighten the atmosphere is risky but it’s pulled off exceptionally well across the album. 

Take the opening song, “At the Gates of Avalon,” for instance.  It begins with a strong showcase of Gothic tinged melodic riffs.  The bass rumbles underneath, a second river flowing towards the epicenter of the song.  That passage in question begins at the 2:05 mark.  The simple but clean tones lead into what I can only described as “doomed out ambience,” and it sounds goddamn fantastic.  It’s weird, it’s spacey, it’s a little disturbing…. it’s all this and more.  But it works.  It works so well.  

Much like the title might suggest, “Glimmer of Hope,” begins with little sparks of clean tones that light the way for heavy yet melodic riffs.  These riffs SMOKE.  I like how this band can be cerebral and heavy, all at once.  The atmosphere of this song is on point—it is somber yet there are hints of danger to be found in the corners and crevices of the dark corners that make up the song.  The riffs grow deeper and more sinister but before the shadows take over, they care cut by the moonlight of the middle passage.  It is oddly serene yet oddly not.  It’s hard to explain but, regardless, it sounds good.  When the guitars mix it, the song reaches new heights, grasping dark tendrils trying desperately to find something to latch upon.

Hopefully anyone reading this, the band included, will forgive me for thinking “Requiem,” was going to be a Paradise Lost cover.  Well, it isn’t but I’m not disappointed, which is a compliment all by itself.  It’s one of the best songs on the album too.  I like the rough style vocals that seem to hit a groove with the riffs—-it makes the song sound huge.  I’m just so impressed how tight and dense this song is yet it sounds spacious at the same time.  Even as the distortion drowns me, I feel as if it could also swallow the world around me as well. 

“Slumber in the Darkness,” is a nice surprise because I thought, based on the beginning, that it might be a ballad, but it turns out that it’s a Gothic dirge of massive proportions.  The bass and drums tick along maddingly like a clock in a silent room.  The rest of the instruments arrive and paired with the ambience; it sounds like slow-motion insanity.  The sudden kick up in tempo is yet another surprise—doom can be fast when needed!   

The final song, “Thoughts of Disobedience,” is a lonely, macabre song that is the doomiest doom to ever doom a doom.   It’s slow, equal parts light and heavy and offers several twists and turns through tempo changes and riffs.  The last minute or so is pretty intense with some killer groovy Gothic riffs hellbent on urgency.   

Faded Remembrance has really impressed me with “The Blessing of Downfall.”  This is how a fantastic album that showcases a band who is willing to grow while still never forgetting their roots.  I love when bands continue to get better—and I can’t wait to see what’s next for Faded Remembrance.  I’ve no doubt “The Blessing of Downfall,” will be playing until then. 

Rating:  Excellent