After around a decade of existence, Scotland’s
Farseer recently unleashed their debut full-length, “Fall Before The Dawn”. This
disc offers nearly an hour of well-executed power metal that shows plenty of
incredible technical proficiency, among many other desirable traits. After a
short intro, the band wastes little time before launching into “Luck of the
Joker”, which is the prototypical high-speed power metal track to kick things
off. It quickly becomes clear that Farseer is well versed in the ways of
melodic guitars and soaring vocals, among many other common power metal traits.
The record as a whole is reminiscent of a slightly less flashy version of Colorado’s
Enceladus (though that might just be because of the similarities between the
two bands’ singers).
Many
other songs similarly display the attributes needed for good power metal. “Nightmares
Collide”, for example, opens with a killer scream (and rest assured, there are
more than a few high-pitched wails throughout this record). The closing song,
the title track, unleashes an infectiously catchy “whoa-oh” section that will
have you singing along instantly. Though the guitar playing is quite skillful
all throughout the record, it shines most on a track like “Second Strike”,
which features a more melodic solo near the end of the song. Farseer also isn’t
afraid to get a bit heavier either. “Way of the World” opens with a super
thrashy riff, and though it does have a bit of an interlude halfway through the
song, it ultimately ends up being one of the more crushing tracks on this release.
There are a fair number of highlights on
this record, as noted above. However, its fundamental flaw is the fact that the
songs don’t have as much staying power as one would hope for from power metal.
Perhaps it is the fact that I’ve been listening to excessive amounts of
Avantasia recently, but there is a stark difference in the way these two bands
approach choruses. While Farseer has some enjoyable melodies in their choruses,
they always feel like an extension of the verses. There is no buildup to the
chorus, and it doesn’t manage to be the climax of the song. Compare this with
bands like Nightwish, Edguy, and the aforementioned Avantasia, where nearly
every song builds into a giant chorus that sounds larger than life. Of course,
power metal doesn’t need to be written this way; after all, these three cited
bands are basically writing pop songs under the guise of power metal. But the
point is still valid: this album is one long stream of consciousness. There is
no major distinction between different sections of these songs (aside from the
occasional interlude), and this makes the record feel more one-dimensional.
Despite this criticism, “Fall Before The
Dawn” is a very solid record. It certainly cannot be faulted anywhere in terms
of execution, as both the production and individual performances on this record
are stellar. This album displays a lot of potential for the band; if the
songwriting were tightened up a bit it would be easy to imagine Farseer being
ranked among the better power metal bands. For now, they’re still well worth
listening to, and definitely worth following into the future!
Highlights
"Luck of the Joker"
"Nightmares Collide"
"To Play the Game"
Final Rating
3.75/5 or 75%.
No comments:
Post a Comment