A Story to Be Told

Within The Fall are a doom metal band from Sweden, that started in 2010. The line-up is Joakim Rudemyr on vocals, Mike Wennerstrand on guitars & backing vocals, David Andersson on guitar & bass and Marcus Whelamsson on drums.

So to the demo, which is made up of two tracks. First track A Story To Be Told starts with a wintry intro of rain and lightning, with a slowly building instrumental passage before the song kicks in, with a growl and thunderous guitar, that will jolt the listener into life. It then settles back down to clean picked guitar and almost spoken word/softly growled vocals. The clean guitar solo is brilliant before moving into a verse of deep growls and and more thunderous riffage. The songs moves through quiet and loud passages, with lots of different elements infused into the music. The variety of whispered and growled vocals give a sense of evil. The song wades in at just under 10 minutes, but doesn't outstay it's welcome, because of ti's different elements. If you like bands like Insomnium and Swallow the Sun, you'll really enjoy this.

Second track Graveyard of Gods, follows on from the title track with similar clean guitar picking sitting lower in the mix and another peaceful but building intro. The band introduces guitar harmonies to the verses, which add another touch of class to the song. It's mainly instrumental again, but the instrumentation is beautiful and thoughtful. There's clearly a lot of talent of display here and it shows that Within The Fall are happy to progress with a sub-genre that can sometimes sound staid. Towards the end of Graveyard of Gods, I got a sense of euphoria from listening to it, which I normally get when I listen to big, doom metal songs. It normally means that I know I've just listened to a song with real meaning and musicianship, where the band have been able to convey their feeling and emotions through their music.

In summary, this is perfect warming doom for the winter months, full of brilliant musicianship that will transport you to another world. I really can't wait to here the new songs from this band. They are due to record an EP in January, so keep an eye out.

Within the Fall is a young act out of Sweden who exhibit an enormous adoration for the emergent death/doom sounds that were prevalent in England during the early to mid 90s. Within but a few minutes, I was already confronted with some blazing, Paradise Lost-like combinations of chord and melody that brought me back to the Icon or Draconian Times era, not something I would ever have a problem with, and not the only weapon at this band's disposal. They also tend to incorporate some drier, clean guitar sequences that create a contrast to the slow explosions of misery, and the vocals stick exclusively to the expansive, guttural drawl that once defined bands like Anathema or Paradise Lost before they made their stylistic departures, or perhaps a dash of mid-90s Amorphis.

I think they pull it off rather well, though I was somewhat apprehensive when the first (title) track turned out to be about 10 minutes in length. I can't claim that the band's acoustic plucking is all that catchy, but they affix it with some percussion, brooding whispers or simple leads to keep the momentum pushing forward through all the rise and collapse of the transitions. And when the massive chugging arrives beneath Joakim Rudemyr's growling, and the woeful lyrics, you can certainly feel that same, haunting weight that you might have once experienced with the band's influences. "Graveyard of Gods", the second, final and shorter songs was definitely the better of the two here, as it lacked any of the excess fat of its predecessor and the clean guitars, while predictable, were more emotionally resonant, the bridge rhythm elevating and potent, and the tear stained melodies that arrive in the conclusion certainly accessible and fit for melancholic consumption.

For a first demo, the production is quite clear, with the vocals placed front and center but never to the expense of the chugging or calmer tones. The bass and drums are there, but as usual in this sort of hybrid those are not the foremost concerns; as long as they keep the beat and create a broader space for the dreary melodies and crushing gutturals, they are functioning as intended. Probably my biggest concern with this demo would be the pacing. It's death/doom, and therefor expected to be slow, but the way both of the songs continuously cycle through the clean and heavy sequences does border on redundant. Better if "Graveyard of Gods" had been up front, and then perhaps a different song to enforce it, with a more steady heaviness, or even a slight increase in speed. That said, it's not as if either of these was poorly written or executed. They establish the parameters of their emotional content, and never let the listener stray forth from their inherent sadness, and clearly there is some potential worth following that might one day lead the band into the ranks of acts like Isole or Swallow the Sun.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Within the Fall is a Swedish Death/Doom Metal band formed by Joakim Rudemyr (who’s also in the Swedish death metal band Desolator) and Mike Wennerstrand in 2010. The band released their first demo a few days ago, entitled “A Story to be Told”.

The first track of the two-song demo, "A Story to be Told", is almost 10 minutes long and starts with sounds of rain and thunder followed by a lovely acoustic intro. The mellow parts are very nicely done and the heavy parts are equally good, although the changes between them are not always perfect. ‘Graveyard of Gods’, the second track, is much more melodic and better structured than the previous. But both songs manage to create a wonderfully bleak and doomy atmosphere.

Those familiar with this particular sub-genre of metal, will recognize the band’s influences: early Katatonia, October Tide, Swallow the Sun, Daylight Dies etc. The lyrics focus on themes that are commonly used in Death/Doom, hate, loss, pain, darkness, death. You get the picture. The production is great and all of the instruments are heard clearly, which made me appreciate it even more.

For a first demo, this is pretty good stuff and it’s definitely worth a listen. So if you haven’t heard this yet and you’re in a crappy mood, head over to the band’s Facebook page for some dooooooom!

( Originally written for MetalRecusants.com )