Falconer - Northwind
Metal Blade - Sept. 25, 2006
by Amanda J. Carlson
A classic Falconer album has arrived to grace our ears. Original singer Mathias Blad has returned with his elegant, velvety voice that he mainly showcased in Swedish musicals, but the desire of the band to return to a true folk metal sound convinced them they needed to bring back such a voice. Northwind indeed is more in the folk metal vein then the previous two releases, Sceptre of Deception and Grime vs. Grandeur. It feels as though they have matured musically, abandoning all the lyrical oddities of their last album to take things much more seriously.
The same Falconer flavor of catchy choruses is so strong here, that I have been haunted 24 hours a day with them stuck in my head. At least there isn't a bad one in the bunch. One of the more memorable is 'Waltz With the Dead.' The chorus only consists of one line, but that's all Falconer needs to hook the listener onto any song here. They do it again in 'Catch the Shadows,' where the singer's mastery of one single word in each verse made this my favorite after only 30 seconds. Also, the guitar solos in each song have surprised me more than ever before – there's some serious talent in this band!
The only time this powerful catchiness goes a bit overboard is in 'Perjury and Sanctity.' It's a great song, no doubt, one of the heaviest here with some non-stop double bass drumming, but when you play the same chorus about 10 times in a four-minute song, well…you can imagine why I can't sleep at night because I can't get the damn song out of my head. Another one that would get me singing (if I knew Swedish) is 'Himmel Så Trind,' a traditional Swedish folk song done heavy metal style. It's the coolness of this tune that makes me want to hunt down the digipak version of Northwind so I can hear the other four just like it.
Northwind is the beginning of a new Falconer. If they can avoid the crazy line-up changes of the past by holding on to their lead guitarist and keeping their vocalist from drifting away, more of this true folk metal is sure to come. It's unfortunate that by doing so, there will probably be no touring, but it's a small price to pay if the studio efforts continue to be stellar.
8.5/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Falconer Official Website
Metal Blade Official Website
Metal Blade - Sept. 25, 2006
by Amanda J. Carlson
A classic Falconer album has arrived to grace our ears. Original singer Mathias Blad has returned with his elegant, velvety voice that he mainly showcased in Swedish musicals, but the desire of the band to return to a true folk metal sound convinced them they needed to bring back such a voice. Northwind indeed is more in the folk metal vein then the previous two releases, Sceptre of Deception and Grime vs. Grandeur. It feels as though they have matured musically, abandoning all the lyrical oddities of their last album to take things much more seriously.
The same Falconer flavor of catchy choruses is so strong here, that I have been haunted 24 hours a day with them stuck in my head. At least there isn't a bad one in the bunch. One of the more memorable is 'Waltz With the Dead.' The chorus only consists of one line, but that's all Falconer needs to hook the listener onto any song here. They do it again in 'Catch the Shadows,' where the singer's mastery of one single word in each verse made this my favorite after only 30 seconds. Also, the guitar solos in each song have surprised me more than ever before – there's some serious talent in this band!
The only time this powerful catchiness goes a bit overboard is in 'Perjury and Sanctity.' It's a great song, no doubt, one of the heaviest here with some non-stop double bass drumming, but when you play the same chorus about 10 times in a four-minute song, well…you can imagine why I can't sleep at night because I can't get the damn song out of my head. Another one that would get me singing (if I knew Swedish) is 'Himmel Så Trind,' a traditional Swedish folk song done heavy metal style. It's the coolness of this tune that makes me want to hunt down the digipak version of Northwind so I can hear the other four just like it.
Northwind is the beginning of a new Falconer. If they can avoid the crazy line-up changes of the past by holding on to their lead guitarist and keeping their vocalist from drifting away, more of this true folk metal is sure to come. It's unfortunate that by doing so, there will probably be no touring, but it's a small price to pay if the studio efforts continue to be stellar.
8.5/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Falconer Official Website
Metal Blade Official Website
