Review Summary: Fallenmania, Part 30
Let’s celebrate the 30th Fallenmania review with an album that may just be one of the greatest examples of a Fallenmaniac inspiration taken in new, fascinating directions, and might also be Kells’s most mature and well-made album.
Kells, the third French fallenmaniac in this series, began their career in the mid 2000s, with the album “Gaia”, which sounded like a heavier, more gothic Evanescence. They kept going in a similar direction, progressively getting heavier and darker while keeping a nicely gothic and alternative metal undertone. Their sound reached its highest point in their third and last album, “Anachromie”.
The album isn’t as colorless as its title suggests, it’s full of dark yet appealing sights and textures. The tone is set with the first track “Bleu”, which opens with riffs full of rage and melancholy that sort of sound like angrier versions of the Going Under riff, and Virgine Goncalves’s powerful voice belting out equally melancholic verses and heavier choruses. The blue of the title represents not depression, but the desperate need to escape from it. “Quelque Part” also uses heavier versions of the Going Under riff, accompanied by Virginie’s sad and eerie vocalizations, and the bridge’s beautiful choir.
“Cristal” uses that kind of riff as well, contrasted with the sweet, crystal-clear sound of the verses. What’s very interesting about this track is that, aside from the riffs, it doesn’t sound too obviously like Evanescence, it’s similar to other gothic metal bands but also has a sound of its own… but there’s something about the mix of heaviness, melancholy and crystalline, pretty sounds that feels very reminiscent of the Evanescence spirit, even though it’s not a note-for-note copy. Likewise, “Nuances” is like an angrier “Bring me to Life”, featuring big, distorted riffs that can occasionally get quieter, but still eerie, and male growling and speak-singing.
Other tracks are where they shed their Fallenmania (while retaining its beauty and darkness) to look at more symphonic bands, like on the furious violins and riffs of “L’Autre Rive”, or even at heavier bands. For example, the fast, angry, almost thrashing riffs of “Addictions”, and Virginie’s more laid-back singing contrasted with her piercing screams. But “Se Taire” has some of their heaviest riffs and screaming used on most of the verses. “Le Manège Déchanté” is more about childhood things turned creepy, with its laughter and eerie music box sounds, and lyrics about child abuse, with Virginie singing in a vulnerable, high-pitched voice and occasionally exploding into screams. Her screams sound like a mix of In This Moment and Cradle of Filth, and her singing sounds like an angrier version of Markize, which fits Kells’s music pretty well. She often has trouble enunciating her lyrics, which can make her hard to understand, but her voice sounds really good, especially on the tracks I’ve already mentioned, and on her vocalizing on “Illusion d’une Aire”.
If I had to name one flaw of this album, it’s the repetitiveness. Most of the songs use similar heavier Going Under riffs mixed with symphonic metal elements, and the last songs feel like less interesting variations on that format. But it’s still pleasant if you want to hear more of Kells’s heavy and symphonic fallenmaniac sound.
I wanted to celebrate the 30th Fallenmania review by choosing one of this scene’s best albums, one that takes what was so great about the Fallen sound and takes it much farther, while having a completely unique sound. And to me, “Anachromie” fits the bill. It’s not a perfect album by any means, and there may be other fallenmaniac albums I have a deeper attachment to. But it’s one of the best examples of that more mature fallenmaniac sound I was looking for, and it’s definitely the best album by a band I’ve always liked even though I’m not a huge fan yet. Kells has done some interesting things during their short career, and I’m glad I got to hear them. I might review some of their other albums, and a few other interesting ones. This 30th Fallenmaniac review won’t be the last, because there’s always a lot to say about fallenmaniacs, and it has become somewhat addictive. While this series couldn’t possibly cover every fallenmaniac album in existence, which could be the work of an entire lifetime or more, it’s still going to mention some other notable and varied releases in this small but fascinating musical movement.
