Falcun
Kingdom Come
Eat Metal Records
2018
Since digging Singapore’s Witchseeker and its sleek full-length debut, “When the Clock Strikes”, I’ve come to seek further slinging Southeast Asian sundries of a similarly sordid yet sonorous sort (try saying that following a bong hit or two). Besides, my “heavy metal reviewing World map” wouldn’t be complete without tacking India, which this year welcomed debuts by Falcun and Against Evil.
Now, although I’ve had the latter”s “All Hail the King” in my gun-sights since it’s official release last April, I find myself much more inclined to write up the former’s respective, raucous introduction, “Kingdom Come” (limited-ly released two weeks later under Greece’s Eat Metal Records), upon receiving it as a promo courtesy of Qabar Extreme Music. Lemme tell ya, Zoheb knows how to pick ‘em; as it is, I haven’t encountered a compellingly maniacal and nutty oddity such as this since Horacle’s “A Wicked Procession” EP and successive “Dead Eyes Revelations” debut, highly eclectic, free-wheeling albums in their own right.
To wit, front man Abhishek initially sounds deranged and questionable once “A Bard’s Tale” proceeds to wreak havoc with its progressive and incremental harmonies, shredding triplet furies and all-out dragon/griffin slaying narrative, but stick around as not only does he fervently accentuate untold heady rhythms, he also, jocosely, exudes low-brow, super energetic charm (make of it what you will; personally, I’m all in!).
Ax men Anirban and Sam make a hell of a pair, as the riffs take on all kinds of snazzy twists and turns whilst Bob’s relentlessly wound drumming and Rony’s loud-as-Hell, mammoth bass lines create a “world” all their own, albeit a much darker and menacing one.
Furthermore, instead of adhering to dyed-in-the-wool, stock song constructs, each track is like a massive, extended high wire jam; mountainous, speedy riffs build upon themselves over piercing solos, which are on point but also leisurely nuanced while practically sounding improvised on the spot. This is especially true of “Vixen”, the longest cut of all at 8.5 minutes as well as imminent pairing with said opener. Its kick-ass bridge riff and wild high pitched leads, as well as lugubrious bass medley, pave the way for round two of off-the-cuff semantics in the form of hypnotic, octave spanning riff/harmony revolutions which procure an element of fantasy and mysticism conducive to the album’s “medieval wizards n’ warriors” theme. Every track is its own little adventure, and if you can get past Abhishek’s unorthodox, arcane wailing, you’re in for a treat.
The album, as a whole, is somewhat of a challenge to take in as it features a (monster) truckload of various, coalescent riffs which, while not repetitive, create the illusion of a single, mightily extended fifty minute track as opposed to nine subtly distinctive works of heavy metal fiction. The first three alone, including the tumbling, militant shit-kicker which is “Brotherhood of Steel”, total over twenty minutes, plus there’s a grouchily thrashing Millenium cover, “Only Be One”, to contend with, seeing as its extremity surpasses by far ambivalently melodious traditional metal vibes. The guitars, from the solo down, sound like something by Slayer or Death...
The good news for milder bangers such as us? The album duly picks up in hard-driving, melodic impetus and overall accessibility from here on in, with a midway instrumental/falcon cry, “Hymn of the Damned”, serving as a brief and harmless tidbit/reprieve before the prosaically titled but rampantly raw and progressive roadster, “Eye of the Storm”, raises a tempest. Next, the fluid and versatile “Child of Prophet” and additional eight-minute mind meld “Martyr” provide the perfect counter weight to “Kingdom Come”’s first half while supplying the lion's share of excitably unhinged and liberating transgressions but not without humbly bowing to the ephemeral “Knightfall”, a further play on Falcun’s harried power meets speed metal innovation. (Consider such crafty genre homogenization, along with those “out-there” vocals, an indicative hallmark of the Kolkata crew).
Objectively, Falcun risks rebuke for being perhaps a bit too rough around the edges, as well as a total slapdash maverick with no regard for form or finesse. Yet, it’s these gruffly endearing traits, as well as the band’s intricate, effortless ease and sky-high punctuation, instrumental or other-wise, which attract me to “Kingdome Come.” My only suggestion, however moot, is for Abhishek to keep honing his yelling chops, because at this rate we could very well have another Terry Fire on our hands (which reminds me, for when is Horacle’s highly anticipated sophomore due, anyhow?).
In an eggshell, this is the kind of classic heavy metal find, which warrants a write-up on my behalf and a listen on yours – duly recommended!
Now, although I’ve had the latter”s “All Hail the King” in my gun-sights since it’s official release last April, I find myself much more inclined to write up the former’s respective, raucous introduction, “Kingdom Come” (limited-ly released two weeks later under Greece’s Eat Metal Records), upon receiving it as a promo courtesy of Qabar Extreme Music. Lemme tell ya, Zoheb knows how to pick ‘em; as it is, I haven’t encountered a compellingly maniacal and nutty oddity such as this since Horacle’s “A Wicked Procession” EP and successive “Dead Eyes Revelations” debut, highly eclectic, free-wheeling albums in their own right.
To wit, front man Abhishek initially sounds deranged and questionable once “A Bard’s Tale” proceeds to wreak havoc with its progressive and incremental harmonies, shredding triplet furies and all-out dragon/griffin slaying narrative, but stick around as not only does he fervently accentuate untold heady rhythms, he also, jocosely, exudes low-brow, super energetic charm (make of it what you will; personally, I’m all in!).
Ax men Anirban and Sam make a hell of a pair, as the riffs take on all kinds of snazzy twists and turns whilst Bob’s relentlessly wound drumming and Rony’s loud-as-Hell, mammoth bass lines create a “world” all their own, albeit a much darker and menacing one.
Furthermore, instead of adhering to dyed-in-the-wool, stock song constructs, each track is like a massive, extended high wire jam; mountainous, speedy riffs build upon themselves over piercing solos, which are on point but also leisurely nuanced while practically sounding improvised on the spot. This is especially true of “Vixen”, the longest cut of all at 8.5 minutes as well as imminent pairing with said opener. Its kick-ass bridge riff and wild high pitched leads, as well as lugubrious bass medley, pave the way for round two of off-the-cuff semantics in the form of hypnotic, octave spanning riff/harmony revolutions which procure an element of fantasy and mysticism conducive to the album’s “medieval wizards n’ warriors” theme. Every track is its own little adventure, and if you can get past Abhishek’s unorthodox, arcane wailing, you’re in for a treat.
The album, as a whole, is somewhat of a challenge to take in as it features a (monster) truckload of various, coalescent riffs which, while not repetitive, create the illusion of a single, mightily extended fifty minute track as opposed to nine subtly distinctive works of heavy metal fiction. The first three alone, including the tumbling, militant shit-kicker which is “Brotherhood of Steel”, total over twenty minutes, plus there’s a grouchily thrashing Millenium cover, “Only Be One”, to contend with, seeing as its extremity surpasses by far ambivalently melodious traditional metal vibes. The guitars, from the solo down, sound like something by Slayer or Death...
The good news for milder bangers such as us? The album duly picks up in hard-driving, melodic impetus and overall accessibility from here on in, with a midway instrumental/falcon cry, “Hymn of the Damned”, serving as a brief and harmless tidbit/reprieve before the prosaically titled but rampantly raw and progressive roadster, “Eye of the Storm”, raises a tempest. Next, the fluid and versatile “Child of Prophet” and additional eight-minute mind meld “Martyr” provide the perfect counter weight to “Kingdom Come”’s first half while supplying the lion's share of excitably unhinged and liberating transgressions but not without humbly bowing to the ephemeral “Knightfall”, a further play on Falcun’s harried power meets speed metal innovation. (Consider such crafty genre homogenization, along with those “out-there” vocals, an indicative hallmark of the Kolkata crew).
Objectively, Falcun risks rebuke for being perhaps a bit too rough around the edges, as well as a total slapdash maverick with no regard for form or finesse. Yet, it’s these gruffly endearing traits, as well as the band’s intricate, effortless ease and sky-high punctuation, instrumental or other-wise, which attract me to “Kingdome Come.” My only suggestion, however moot, is for Abhishek to keep honing his yelling chops, because at this rate we could very well have another Terry Fire on our hands (which reminds me, for when is Horacle’s highly anticipated sophomore due, anyhow?).
In an eggshell, this is the kind of classic heavy metal find, which warrants a write-up on my behalf and a listen on yours – duly recommended!