Review Summary: Sometimes, it makes sense that an album is forgotten.
It's very rare that a given album rises to become a time-honored classic. Though legions aspire to reach the zenith of popularity in a given genre, for every Rust in Peace there is, there may come along 100 album like Faith Fails. Having been released in 1992, Fallen Angel's only album is one of the instances of a band clearly making an effort, but not quite making enough of an impression to grab the attention of the community as a whole.
Now, just because the album is forgotten, that doesn't mean it's bad. It was sort of a victim of circumstance, having been released in a time wherein thrash metal was waning in popularity, in a region of the world which had never truly embraced the genre to begin with. The important question, however, is this: was the album worth listening to? The answer depends on your point of view.
There are some truly stellar tracks to be found on the album.
Injection - Overdose, for example, is frantic and engaging, fully displaying the true capabilities of the group. Nothing is truly out of what's expected for the genre, rather it's streamlined and performed in a manner which is wholly satisfying. Had the entire album stood up to this standard, it could have easily gone down as a buried treasure, unfairly left behind. However, there is also a certain degree of filler on the album which severely bogs down how much one can enjoy it on the whole. The title track, for example, doesn't really find an appropriate pace and never really goes anywhere, coming off as somewhat boring. Tracks such as
Ice are strong enough on their own merit to still warrant an individual listen, however the fact that there are multiple tracks which are better left unheard is a major hit to this album's enjoyability.
Overall, it's really not difficult to see why Faith Fails was incapable of reaching a wider audience. Between the circumstances of its release and the unfortunate presence of filler, there wasn't a real demand for albums of its style. Nevertheless, if you look past the rough exterior, you'll find some standout tracks that make it worth revisiting at least once or twice.
Recommended Tracks:
Ice
Injection - Overdose
Visions of Terror
