The trick to the effectiveness of
A Collapse Of Faith lies in its composition. Instead of the ambitious, daunting undertaking that the album appears to be upon first glance, it is a powerhouse of grace and fluidity. The riffs evolve and grow as a singular cohesive unit, and don’t go out of their way to impress but instead aim to build upon the progression of the album. In other words, the musicianship is neither flashy nor wandering, but instead it is focused and concentrates on building and building upon itself until all comes crashing down in a crescendo of tremolo-picked riffs and spewing vocals, only to start all over again with a single acoustic guitar piece that begins the cycle anew.
It’s difficult to format an album like
A Collapse Of Faith and not lose the listener to boredom halfway through. For all intents and purposes,
A Collapse Of Faith is one track; they all flow together seamlessly and often one “part” carries riffs over to the next. The raspy vocals of Letho work flawlessly with the atmosphere of the album, as often times many of the electric guitar riffs are fast-paced and seem almost desperate, backed by the subtle plucking of a classical guitar. The integration of both acoustic and electric guitar leads is key to the overall structure of the album, as both are fused together at the hip and are used like they are one entity. It’s worth noting, also, that the drumming of Marko Tarvonen (of Moonsorrow fame) adds another dimension of rhythm to the album, but also an essential atmospheric touch with his chaotic fills that help transition from one riff to the next.
The real beauty of the album, though, lies in its simplicity: it takes only a handful of core riffs and throws in countless subtle variations to make the forty-two minute running time seem like half that. It is a culmination of what October Falls has composed over the past few years, from the running piano melodies and atmospheric folk of
Marras to the seamless integration of black metal influences in their previous album
The Womb Of Primordial Nature. Some may see
A Collapse Of Faith as simply a repeat of their last album, but that would be both naïve and completely false.
A Collapse Of Faith is the most enjoyable, most focused, and most well-written album October Falls has put out to date. The potential which was shown on
The Womb Of Primordial Nature has begun to break through, and the future of October Falls looks better than ever.
