Falconer
Chapters From A Vale Forlorn


3.5
great

Review

by Dethtrasher USER (232 Reviews)
April 4th, 2007 | 9 replies


Release Date: 2002 | Tracklist

Review Summary: A good power metal album. Melodic, clear vocals and good guitar creates a great overall variety. The only thing that is missing is some energy.

Power metal (or Slay-Dragon-Save-Princess metal as I like to call it sometimes) is probably one of metals mellowest genres. If you would play power metal in a mall people wouldn’t bother but if you would play black metal for example then people would have a different reaction. I like power metal but I think that power metal bands tend to sound so incredibly similar to each other. Of I want to listen to power metal then I would listen to some special, like Nightwish for example. But one day when I was searching stuff in my computer I suddenly saw that I had a Falconer album! I knew that they were Swedish and that they played power metal so I thought I could listen it through. Well, Falconer definitely plays power metal and I thought that they were not a special band. Even if people have criticized them to be a band that stands out just a bit of the power metal crowd I still don’t agree. The reason why Falconer stands out is mostly because of the vocalist, the guitarist Stefan Weinerhall (ex member of the black metal band Mithotyn), and the mix between power metal and folk influences in the music.

Chapters From A Vale Forlorn is the name of the album I found. It was released in 2002 and it is the band’s second full-length album. This album has a good and even great variety in basically everything, the only question is if you like the music or not. Here we have a great song variety, we got some fast, catchy and almost ‘’classic structured’’ songs like Decadence Of Dignity and For Life And Liberty. We have some slower but somewhat heavier tracks like The Clarion Call and Enter The Glade. There are also some tracks here that has some nice folk influences too, Lament Of A Minstrel, Stand In Veneration and We Sold Our Homesteads would be three good examples. And then we also have an atmospheric ballad here called Portals Of Life.

Mathias Blad is a vocalist and a keyboardist. He has a good power metal voice, very clear and it is not too yell, loud etc. People say that he has a mid-ranged vocal style, what it means I don’t know but he is a good singer. I still think that his vocals are somewhat weak, it doesn’t sound bad at all but I think that his voice doesn’t add so much to the music. Stefan Weinerhall plays both guitar and bass in this album and he delivers a very good performance. The guitar stands out thanks to the somewhat technical but varied riff structures and the bass provides a good sound that backs up the guitars. Most riffs are pretty simplistic and melodic but also heavy at times, we have some catchy ‘’galloping’’ riffs and most guitar solos are technical, high-pitched and melodic. Karsten Larsson is the drummer and his performance level is in the same height as the other members. Here we have some drum patterns that are typical in the power metal genre. There are many catchy drum patterns and double bass kicking, this is not a complex or highly technical drum performance. In this album we also encounter some other instruments as well, we have some flutes, violins and piano that are scattered throughout the material.

That should be enough, this was not a bad album but it wasn’t a really great album either. I liked almost everything but I thought that the album had a somewhat low energy album. There were of course some songs with good energy but I still think that the album wasn’t so ‘’exciting’’. This is an album that you don’t need to have; I will though recommend it to people who are deep into power metal. If you like power metal with fantasy themes and such you will probably enjoy this album. If you like power metal then you should get into, if not, let it be.

Positives
+ Good vocals (especially in Portals Of Life)
+ Good guitars
+ Nice mix with the folk instruments
+ Very good song variety

Negatives
- The album doesn’t have a good energy level, the album felt too calm
- The vocals could’ve been a bit louder and or powerful

Recommended Favourites
-- Portals Of Life
-- The Clarion Call
-- For Life And Liberty

This album will be given a 3/5.



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user ratings (69)
3.7
great

Comments:Add a Comment 
Dethtrasher
April 4th 2007


2211 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Oh, I did a ''Mikesn''. I got my Theory In Practice review back from Mr. South right after I finished this so I thought I could add both of them. =/

sdonnell
April 4th 2007


40 Comments


Your rating seems a little high for saying it wasn't really great.

My buddy tried getting me into these guys and I laughed in his face. Too cheesy for me.

Dethtrasher
April 5th 2007


2211 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

I guess you're right, I have lowered my rating by 0.5.

Mikesn
Emeritus
April 15th 2007


3707 Comments


This band is both very interesting and very annoying at the same time. The folky elements can be quite cool but after awhile they just get on my nerves, especially as the album progresses. This album was kind of bland imo. Great reviewThis Message Edited On 04.15.07

south_of_heaven 11
April 15th 2007


5614 Comments


Mmm I don't think I'm even gonna bother with this.

Jayxsnoogans
December 10th 2009


72 Comments


"Power metal (or Slay-Dragon-Save-Princess metal as I like to call it sometimes) is probably one of metals mellowest genres. If you would play power metal in a mall people wouldn’t bother but if you would play black metal for example then people would have a different reaction."

yeah, definitely the caliber of a genre can solely be based on how much it offends shoppers

youre an idiot

OllieS
January 29th 2012


2280 Comments


Some of the lyrics on here are abysmal (ie 'our blood must be spilled so the noble's vision can be fulfilled')

OllieS
July 21st 2017


2280 Comments


"Our blood must be spilled so the nobles' vision can be fulfilled" - this has got to be one of the worst lyrics ever written.

ToSmokMuzyki
April 22nd 2023


12869 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

>metals mellowest genres.



u take that bullshit back rn review from 16 years ago



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