Metal Coven

Eden's Fall

METAL
Dec 9, 2005
76
0
6
www.edensfall.com
Here is a review from www.metalcoven.com

http://www.metalcoven.com/review_edensfall_harmony.html

Eden's Fall
"Harmony of Lies"
Nothingheart Records - 2006
Reviewed by: Chris Paul
Date Reviewed - 03/18/06

Track Listing:
01.Blur The Lines
02.Planet Hate
03.Lost Again
04.Chemical Dreams
05.Bleed
06.Dead Thought Matrix
07.Liquid Christ
08.We Betray
09.Nothingheart

Rated:
8/10

Total Play Time:
43:24


There seems to be a shortage of newer metal bands with a truly unique sound. Often I will hear a new band and immediately make the connection as to who their influences are, but usually the comparisons are to maybe one or two bands. Chicago's Eden's Fall are a band whose influences are fairly evident, but so plentiful that their own sound is quite multidimensional and satisfting to metalheads of varying tastes.

Eden's Fall's basic sound is a mixture of thrash and traditional metal, with a little melodic death thrown in for good measure. Harmonized leads and melodies are plentiful, as are some strong double bass grooves. They have an early 90's Testament-meets -Nevermore-meets -Metal Church-meets Iced Earth sound, but they never end up copying any of those bands. In fact, Eden's Fall have remarkably forged a style of their own on Harmony Of Lies.

From the strong opening groove of "Blur The Lines" to the anthemic, sing along choruses of "Planet Hate" and "We Betray", I was quite surprised that this is Eden's Fall's debut album. They show a mature sense of songcraft and arranging that bands with ten times the experience don't often achieve.

The one thing that might turn some people off is the vocals of John Barr. He uses several vocal styles, including the traditional melodic style, but sometimes he uses a sort of gruff sneer that has traces of melody, but isn't quite tuneful. He also uses some growls sparingly and tastefully. The man can sing, but I wish he would belt it out a bit more.

Where "Harmony Of Lies" really shines is in the production department. The band produced the CD themselves, but with some help from two metal journeymen. The mixing was done by no other than jack-of all-trades Dan Swano (Edge Of Sanity, Bloodbath, Nightingale, etc.), and the mastering was done by virtuoso guitarist James Murphy (Death, Obituary, Cancer, Disincarnate, etc.). The result is a wonderfully tight, clear and warm sound. Kudos to the band for achieving such a professional sound on an essentially independent relase.

If your tastes lean toward American-style power/thrash metal, Eden's Fall is just your cup of tea. It's heavy without being harsh, and the band sounds familiar without sounding stale. In this day and age, that's a rarity.