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Vallenfyre - Fear Those Who Fear Him

Published June 1 2017


*
=Staff's pick

Born To Decay
Messiah
Degeneration
An Apathetic Grave*
Nihilist*
Amongst The Filth
Kill All Your Masters
The Merciless Tide*
Dead World Breathes
Soldier Of Christ
Cursed From The Womb
Temple Of Rats

Genre Death Metal
Gregor Mackintosh
Vocals
Tracks 12
Gregor Mackintosh
Guitar
Running time 39 Min.
Hamish Hamilton Glencross
Guitar
Label Century Media Records
Hamish Hamilton Glencross
Bass
Release June 2, 2017
Waltteri Väyrynen
Drums
Country England
-
Keyboard
Producer Kurt Ballou
Similar bands Nihilist, Bloodbath, Asphyx

When Greg Mackintosh (Paradise Lost) founded Vallenfyre it was a way to deal with the death of his father. Alas, the first two albums had a dense aura of grief and darkness conjured through Swedish-influenced death metal with strong doom elements. On the third album, 'Fear Those Who Fear Him' the musical core remains the same but there is something different this time around.

Where the debut and sophomore discs were draped in a shroud of sorrow and agony, this one feels less emotional and more outright aggressive. One could speculate that Greg has processed most of the difficult feelings associated with his father's passing which served as the initial inspiration for Vallenfyre. The doom-laden tunes, which were the predominantly emotional ones on the predecessors, are less prominent on this one in favor of shorter up-tempo songs. Some of the latter are rather unforgettable and feels a bit rushed, which takes a toll on the overall quality of 'Fear Those Who Fear Him'.

This is by no means a bad album, as a whole the riffs, hooks, and song structures are rather enjoyable. However, 'Fear Those Who Fear Him' does not compare to the immense quality shown on Vallenfyre's previous efforts. Still, the quality of the songwriting is superior to the majority of old-school death metal bands out there. These boys have been around since the early 90's and know well what they do. Somewhat peculiar, this is the least immediate of the three Vallenfyre albums and might grow to become almost on par with its predecessors.

Those who wish to dig into the achievements of Vallenfyre ought to check the two previous albums before moving on to this one. Those who have followed the band for some time might find themselves slightly disappointed, but time might reward those persistent.

See also review of: Splinters
See also: interview with Greg Mackintosh

Performance
Originality
Production
Vocals
Songwriting

7

5

6

8

6

 
Summary



6 chalices of 10 - Tengan


Related links:

www.facebook.com/vallenfyre