Review Summary: Reconnected
Bay Area-based tech engineers Fallujah are among the most exciting modern metal bands of the past decade, or if you prefer, among those who have managed to coin a more distinctive, contemporary sound in a genre crowded with virtuoso craftsmen. Their first three releases (which include the 2013 EP
Nomadic) offered a fresh take that progressively added more atmosphere and personality to their original techy blackened deathcore(ish) formula. The band's tasty, highly distinct, reverby leads are the extra layer that gives them their own, non-transferable character, like a fingerprint, unavoidably attached to Fallujah's music. 2014's
The Flesh Prevails marked the peak of this first phase, the culmination of a maturation process that solidified the band's identity, simultaneously opening the doors to new audiences and major labels (Nuclear Blast) who were not indifferent to the collective's output. This greater exposure, however, did not come without its drawbacks, as the subsequent albums somehow show some creative drift, typical of those stuck at the crossroads between the old and the new, seeking more mainstream territories without losing touch with the past. I'm probably being unfair since
Dreamless and
Undying Light both have their highlights, especially the former which only recently I've been getting a taste for. Still, I couldn't help feeling the band's latest ventures out of focus, roaming more scattered, inconsistent grounds.
Empyrean, in many ways, moves in the opposite direction.
There is a sense of accomplishment throughout
Empyrean as if the quartet has gotten back on track, or at least to more consistent and focused paths. It's a return to form without being a desperate attempt to recapture the past; in other words, a step forward. Rather than simply cloning their early work and sailing through safe waters, Scott Carstairs & the lads merged both worlds into a formula that somehow gathers all the band's DNA.
Empyrean is techy, irreverent but also melodic and charming; it is furious and beautiful; it embeds all Fallujah's nuances into a single, coherent sound palette. The first three songs cluster these attributes, synthesizing
Empyrean's look and feel. Overwhelming blast beats intertwine with counterpoint and tempo changes under Scott's distinctive guitar lines, showcasing a vitality the likes of which hasn't been seen in some time. Sexy hi-pitched tremolo picking and tasty leads overlap intricate, techy riffs in colorful soundscapes. The relatively wide-ranging vocals of new recruit Kyle Schaefer also provide interesting dynamics, along with female guest appearances that lend an angelic layer to the compositions. While I think that in most cases these feminine touches don't add value, being merely redundant adornments, they do sometimes generate engaging contrasts, such as the smooth middle section of 'Embrace Oblivion' (featuring Katie Thompson). The interplay between the Cattle Decapitation-ish bridge and the more mainstream chorus of 'Soulbreaker' also ranks among the album's highlights, emphasizing
Empyrean's aforementioned contrasting tones. Present and past dance in unison, with Scott Carstairs bringing echoes of the preceding tech generation such as the likes of Psycroptic, Gorod, or Obscura into his distinctive sound. A fusion that aside from working aesthetically well, expresses the band's willingness to reconnect. And though I believe Fallujah's music still lacks some artistry that could catapult it to stratospheric heights, this creative renaissance is all too evident. The strong synergy between Scott and his fellow long-time drummer also deserves to be highlighted, with Andrew Baird probably delivering his best performance to date. The massive solo section of 'Radiant Ascension' stands as the pinnacle of this symbiotic bond.
Like a phoenix rising from light and fire,
Empyrean is the sound of rebirth; the embodiment of a renewed, reconnected quartet that has found its way again. Not by exploring new territories or alternative roads, but by realizing that sometimes the answers to the present lie in the echoes of the past. And in doing so, they have opened the door to a promising future.
