Fall of the Leafe - _Vantage_
(Firebox, 2005)
by: Pedro Azevedo (7 out of 10)
While placing them band within a groovy, atmospheric metal realm, the promo material that accompanies _Vantage_ also mentions "pioneering gothic rock bands" and "guitar driven British rock" -- which is all of little consequence in the end, unless you're really adamant about picking out every piece of musical influence from the numerous tracks that make up the album. If you're not about to be bothered with any of that and would rather take the album for what it's worth, then you may well find yourself enjoying these Finns' fifth album.

Fall of the Leaf do mix together a variety of decidedly un-metal influences that may well include what is described above; but what I mean when I say that is ultimately of little consequence for the average listener is that they are able to create a cohesive whole out of whichever ingredients they have chosen for the album. While Paradise Lost and Amorphis are names that come to mind when listening to _Vantage_, these aren't really fair comparisons to draw. If anything, Fall of the Leafe are one of those bands that don't really sound like they're trying to follow anything or anyone in particular. Their style may be all melodic and groovy, but it doesn't sound like they are pandering to commercial targets. Liking Tuomas Tuominen's almost omnipresent singing constitutes a major step towards enjoying anything the album has to offer, but that isn't to say the rest of the band don't have a significant role to play: the instrumental side is busy, varied and rocking enough to keep things interesting.

_Vantage_ may be found too easy to digest and discard by some listeners, and certainly not sufficiently dark for others. If you happen to be in the right frame of mind for the type of music that Fall of the Leafe are producing these days however, then _Vantage_ is an enjoyable and safe, though ultimately not outstanding album.

Contact: http://www.falloftheleafe.com

(article published 17/12/2005)


CHATS
12/7/2004 P Schwarz Fall of the Leafe: Autumn's First Triumph
ALBUMS
12/4/2002 A Bromley 7 Fall of the Leafe - Fermina
RSS Feed RSS   Facebook Facebook   Twitter Twitter  ::  Mobile : Text  ::  HTML : CSS  ::  Sitemap

All contents copyright 1995-2024 their individual creators.  All rights reserved.  Do not reproduce without permission.

All opinions expressed in Chronicles of Chaos are opinions held at the time of writing by the individuals expressing them.
They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of anyone else, past or present.