Sorrowfall - Prayers of the Faithless
MCMO Records - 3 August 2007
By Paddy Walsh
Irish UM readers may be familiar with Northern Ireland's Sorrowfall, as they've been a reliable fixture on the local live circuit for the last few years. Young upstarts in the realm of blackened thrash, Sorrowfall certainly aren't short of decent chops. Prayers of the Faithless is a wonderfully entertaining fusion of black metal, thrash, and traditional heavy metal. A strong undercurrent of Iron Maiden pulses through this band, particularly with the liberal twin leads and the occasional gallop of the rhythm guitars on offer. 'Wicked Potion' is a good example of the band's indebtedness to NWOBHM, but at heart Prayers of the Faithless is a piece of blackened thrash. Steve Reynold's vocals are typical of the genre, all throaty rasps, although there is a hint of Abbath's (Immortal) icy croak on tracks such as 'Prophecies of Megiddo'.
Although much of Sorrowfall's debut rarely deviates from what obviously comes easist to them, the likes of 'The Curse of Our Kind' gives nods towards Megadeth and even Slough Feg, whilst closer 'A Prayer to the Emptiness' is a folksy, cleanly plucked affair that hints at the kind of epics Sorrowfall will likely burst forth with in the future. Prayers of the Faithless is a spirited and solid debut, although at 11 tracks long slightly overstays its welcome. At times the songwriting could do with tightening as there's something a bit predictable about much of their material, following as it does a similar formula. Yet Sorrowfall have marked themselves out as something a bit different to the many black/thrash clones doing the rounds via their willingness to embrace their heavy metal roots, and this pays dividends.
Official Sorrowfall Website
Official Sorrowfall MySpace
MCMO Records - 3 August 2007
By Paddy Walsh
Irish UM readers may be familiar with Northern Ireland's Sorrowfall, as they've been a reliable fixture on the local live circuit for the last few years. Young upstarts in the realm of blackened thrash, Sorrowfall certainly aren't short of decent chops. Prayers of the Faithless is a wonderfully entertaining fusion of black metal, thrash, and traditional heavy metal. A strong undercurrent of Iron Maiden pulses through this band, particularly with the liberal twin leads and the occasional gallop of the rhythm guitars on offer. 'Wicked Potion' is a good example of the band's indebtedness to NWOBHM, but at heart Prayers of the Faithless is a piece of blackened thrash. Steve Reynold's vocals are typical of the genre, all throaty rasps, although there is a hint of Abbath's (Immortal) icy croak on tracks such as 'Prophecies of Megiddo'.
Although much of Sorrowfall's debut rarely deviates from what obviously comes easist to them, the likes of 'The Curse of Our Kind' gives nods towards Megadeth and even Slough Feg, whilst closer 'A Prayer to the Emptiness' is a folksy, cleanly plucked affair that hints at the kind of epics Sorrowfall will likely burst forth with in the future. Prayers of the Faithless is a spirited and solid debut, although at 11 tracks long slightly overstays its welcome. At times the songwriting could do with tightening as there's something a bit predictable about much of their material, following as it does a similar formula. Yet Sorrowfall have marked themselves out as something a bit different to the many black/thrash clones doing the rounds via their willingness to embrace their heavy metal roots, and this pays dividends.
Official Sorrowfall Website
Official Sorrowfall MySpace
