Few, if any, American progressive/technical loss of life metallic bands mix vicious complexity, gripping melodies, and upliftingly spacey and vibrant segues as well and gratifyingly as Fallujah. For essentially the most half, they’ve honed their methods and improved their chemistry with every new launch, too, that means that 2022’s Empyrean was a welcomed return to type that proved immensely tough to high.
But, that’s virtually actually what they’ve completed with their sixth full-length studio sequence: Xenotaph. Very a lot persevering with the group’s trademark sound, the album sees them rising and perfecting their use of fresh singing and transcendental segues amidst all the requisite growls and hectic instrumentation. The result’s an expertise that longtime followers of the quintet (and magnificence as a complete) ought to relish and that newcomers will discover to be a good way to get into Fallujah’s fiery world.
Empyrean signified a momentous change in lineup for the band because it marked the introductions of lead singer Kyle Schaefer, bassist Evan Brewer, and rhythmic guitarist Sam Mooradian. As such, solely authentic lead guitarist/backing vocalist Scott Carstairs remained, and whereas all of them carry over to Xenotaph, former drummer Andrew Baird has been changed by Kevin Alexander. Judging by how persistently involving and poised the file is, although, it’s honest to say that this is perhaps Fallujah’s best incarnation.
To be clear, Xenotaph appears like a Fallujah album, however the foursome’s formidable stylistic revision is important and chronic. If a comparability must be made, it’s just like how Between the Buried and Me’s The Nice Misdirect and Coma Ecliptic had been milder musically and vocally than their predecessors however nonetheless maintained loads of beloved brutality.
Actually, the mild cosmic prelude and perpetual sing-along hooks of opener “In Stars We Drown” provides a chic indication of how steadily (and the way properly) the quintet mesh their calm and chaotic personas. The entire observe is spellbindingly erratic and engaging, with completely ferocious and awe-inspiringly inviting passages colliding and complementing one another from starting to finish.
The identical holds true for just about each tune that follows. As an illustration, the hyperactive jazz fusion magnificence of “Kaleidoscope Waves” and “The Crystalline Veil” showcases how playfully adventurous and multifaceted Fallujah can get whereas preserving their relentlessly violative core. Certain, some chapters – as Schaefer calls them – are majorly hellish (“Labyrinth of Stone”) or peaceable (“A Parasitic Dream”), however all of them strike a wonderful compromise between the 2 extremes.
Xenotaph is an amazing accomplishment that additional validates Fallujah as a dominant power within the realm of progressive/technical loss of life metallic. Their skill to retain their important components within the strategy of pushing themselves and their viewers to new locations is kind of commendable, that means that even their oldest and most crucial devotees will uncover loads to love right here. What’s extra, these hoping for heightened accessibility, magnificence, and eccentricity alongside Fallujah’s angrier tendencies might conclude that Xenotaph is their best file to date.
Fallujah’s Xenotaph releases on June 13 by way of Nuclear Blast Data.
