Description

After being thoroughly impressed with their self-titled debut, Falconer released Chapters From A Vale Forlorn just one year later. Musically the band is, for the most part, the same, but there are some major differences between this and the debut. The song writing style and the production have changed the most, but overall this is still the band a lot of us enjoyed on the debut. The debut had a somewhat muted production, as it was a little more raw sounding than typical Power Metal and had more in common with the dirty production mix found on Mithotyn's releases. With Chapters From A Vale Forlorn that has changed. Now we are left with a heavy, crystal clear, powerful Power Metal production job. The guitars are heavier, the vocals louder, the bass more present, and the double kicks more punishing. Guitarist Stefan Weinerhall out did himself again, as he displays some killer leads, folkish riffs, and an all-together pleasing guitar style. Likewise, the drumming is also impressively precise and Karsten Larsson shows a quality amount of variance with very fast double bass, galloping rhythms, and good fills. Vocally, Mattias Blad had improved a lot, not that his performance on the debut was bad, but his vocal melodies are even stronger and help define each song. That's what is what important here as well, each song is different. With a combination of clever song writing, unique vocals, and Weinerhall's guitar style, each song has its own feel, atmosphere, and stands on its own. You'll never mix songs together and because of that each one is memorable in its own way. I would say that "For Life And Liberty" and "The Clarion Call" are the most brilliant songs on this release. Chapters From A Vale Forlorn is definitely one of those albums that you have to purchase at some point in your life if you don’t already own it. Track listing: 1. Decadence Of Dignity 2. Enter The Glade 3. Lament Of A Minstrel 4. For Life And Liberty 5. We Sold Our Homesteads 6. The Clarion Call 7. Portals Of Light 8. Stand In Veneration 9. Busted To The Floor