The new sonic journey of Bay Area progressive death metallers Fallujah begins with the 4th full-length album “Undying Light” which features new vocalist Antonio Palermo.
“Glass House” starts with luminous atmospheric nuances that will return throughout the song emphasizing melodic undertones but soon ensures a quite heavy rhythmic approach as guitars confidently unleash a ravenous series of riffs with edgy technical accents.
“Last Light” still holds similar ferocious rhythmic blasts amplified by the massive angered growls as tempo often gets faster inevitably generating loads of harsh grooves until everything slows down drastically and melodic guitars have a chance to craft dreamy polished melodies.
On “Dopamine” guitars shift from detailed melodic passages to evidently aggressive grooves so the song’s structure relies mainly on such contrasting feelings matched by the melancholic vocal delivery versus the chaotic screams and an extra twist is represented by the warmth of the atmospheric finale.
“Hollow” still offers menacing rhythmic progressions through wild riffage and drumming but the melodic guitar phrases certainly stand out through the delicate atmospheric waves channeling spacey vibes and somber emotions.
“Distant And Cold” almost puts aside completely the previous enraged rhythmic rampage to focus on intricate atmospheric arrangements with evident ambiance textures and lavish guitar melodies leading to a full blown daydreaming mood.
To close the album “Departure” fiercely returns to embrace an extreme metal structure with absolutely merciless drums and frenetic riffs while the prog influenced guitar leads craft some tasteful melodies.
While all the tracks on “Undying Light” tend to rely on fierce extreme metal dynamics Fallujah are always ready to spice up such music formula with the right dosage of technical musicianship and cinematic elements.