Description
October Falls album The Streams Of The End is similar in approach and feeling to Agalloch’s song “I Am The Wooden Doors.” In fact, the first track, “Shores Of Fire,” is quite the Agalloch impersonation. The drums roll along, while an acoustic guitar backs up the distorted ones in anticipation of acoustic interludes. The vocals are very underplayed, but a more dramatic performance would not have been entirely appropriate to the music’s stoic atmosphere. As though they are simply being spoken, the vocals rasp flatly behind the guitars but are not completely irrelevant, as they add another metallic element to the EP. Despite not being aggressive, “The Streams Of The End” doesn’t skip out on the metal parts. Even if it could be seen as just the band’s experimentation with a new direction, the EP is not watered down to the point where the experiment is only a cosmetic trial. The guitars are forceful and aren’t afraid to dip into doom metal territory. Although briefly, the drums, in typical black metal fashion, take on blastbeats during “White Northern Soils.” The production, however, is anything but abrasive, and instead has a warm quality to it that interacts strangely well with the melancholic tone. One might expect October Falls to go the cold winter route, in terms of atmosphere, but really “The Streams Of The End” brings to life images of humid mist. Though they play backseat to the EP’s metal aspects, the folk elements still contribute a necessary flavour to the mix and keep the release relevant to the band’s discography. Acoustic guitars are always picking away in the background, and interludes make frequent appearances, along with ambient sounds of rain. The Streams Of The End is undoubtedly a successful experiment and their metal is much more interesting than their folk, but unfortunately this is not a full-length. It may not be as captivating as one would hope, but if you’re the sort of person who has Agalloch’s “The Mantle” on repeat then “The Streams Of The End” has a place in your playlist.
Track list:
1. Shores Of Fire
2. White Northern Soils
3. Funeral Pyres
4. The Streams Of The End