...Grey Heaven Fall

Grey Heaven Fall is an unknown gem hailing from the cold lands of Russia. Considering that this is their debut record it seems perfectly safe to assume that these musicians are an immensely talented lot. The songs are well structured so that certain parts repeat two or three times, but are also not exhaustedly repeated so that the listener might become bored with the segments. The songs progress in a very natural way, making the songs feel naturally meaningful by starting at a point where the band wants to elicit a certain emotion that gradually builds up to stunning climaxes (e.g. “The Resurrected One”, “Swansong Of Your Dream” and “Grieving Souls In Tyrant’s Castle”).

The album opens with “The Resurrected One” which showcases the band’s statement to be heavy and hard hitting – this can be perceived from the first second. The album opener starts off with a very brutal growl which eventually progresses to what could be one of the strongest lead guitar melodies of the 2010s. All of the songs on the album feature strong and extremely catchy leads, making the songs very memorable and differentiated from one another. It seems that these Russian virtuosos are very influenced by the melodic death metal bands that dominate Sweden, as the twin leads that interplay are reminiscent of these kinds of songs. The album could be described as a musical creation that fuses sounds akin to black metal (representing some of the vocals), melodic death metal (representing the amazingly catchy and beautiful guitar leads) and brutal death metal (represented by the brutal growls). Thus, the band’s debut sound could be classified as “melodic blackened death metal”.

The album isn’t all aggressive and in your face, though. Two songs in particular made the impression of signifying a slower, more emotional approach to songwriting: “Grey Heavens Of Autumn” and album wrapper “Immortal Flame”. Sadly, as with 90% of extreme metal being created today, the bass is mostly inaudible. It does make noticeable appearances here and there, especially in some songs’ introductions (e.g. “Curse Of The Memory”), verses and interludes.

The album’s drumming approach is simple and fits well with the music. It could be regarded as not being fast by those listeners that enjoy constant blasting and constant and pointless fills, however. The drumming is good and complements the music by not stealing the grandeur of the great guitar leads. This album demonstrates how speed in drums (or guitar parts for that matter) don’t dictate whether an album is good and/or technically proficient. As with the hard hitting opener “The Resurrected One”, the album closes on the purely instrumental “Immortal Flame” that conveys a tranquil, yet mysterious and evil sound that end the album in a truly remarkable way.

To conclude, it can be stated with sincerity that this is a great band from whom great things can yet be expected (just consider the impressive split release shared with Twilight Is Mine, “The Original Seed Of Decadence”, which represents the band’s evolving sound). Every song on “…Grey Heaven Fall” is a standout track and can easily be recognized from one another. The album leads, song structures, song progression and vocals are all highlights that the album offers the listener. The only (and very minor) setbacks of the album include the mostly inaudible bass, a lack of variation in the drumming approach (however, this is not actually a setback as it complements the music by not stealing the guitars’ thunder) and the fact that one wouldn’t know what the songs are about unless one speaks Russian (the Russian vocals, however, make the vocals stand out from other bands).