Member:
stevepalmer
Date:
11/19/2008
Genres are strange things. For musicians they are often annoying, and we spend years insisting that we are somehow between genres; something unique, something original. But for the reviewer, genres can be useful. So... prog folk metal, anyone?
The Fruit Fallen by Edensong is a debut recording masterminded by James Byron Schoen, who plays the guitars, and sings. Many other musicians contribute for a full band sound. The album is split into eight fairly long tracks, each of them occupying that unlikely space between British progressive rock, folk, and metal. Think Jethro Tull and early Genesis infused with Metallica. It's an interesting brew.
Opening track “Water Run” gallops between the three genres mentioned above in fine style, mixing folk instrumentation with metal guitars and the metal style of singing - let's call it ‘impassioned.’ Time signatures change, guitars thrum, flutes trill. This description sounds unwieldy, but it does work. “The Baptism” brings in new elements, such as a little tasteful bass soloing and the Hammond organ (which accompanies many sections of this album, harking back to early Genesis in particular). The playing is uniformly excellent on this track. In “Reflection”, delicate acoustic guitar arpeggios merge with solo voice, passing through tabla and cello/violin, before building into a harder sound on what is one of the best, though ironically one of the simplest, tracks. This one has a particularly good chorus, and good vocals throughout. “The Prayer” begins with mournful Spanish guitar before blasting into more Hammondy metal, and then the listener is galloping off again, accompanied by swirling violins and more flutes. This track is the most obviously ‘progressive’ of the eight, with classic British instrumentation and many changes of mood and tempo.
Piano and voice open “Nocturne”, and the second half of the album. A really good Hammond accompanies this tale of (I think) musical inspiration. Metal guitars and what sounds like a Rickenbacker bass then underpin flutes and demonic voices for an effective centre section and finale. “The Sixth Tale” veers wildly between soft flute interludes and crazed metal-prog; some very nice drumming on this track, which is a bit of a mini-epic. “One Breath To Breathe” is a brief and simple (by the standards of this album) song that perfectly balances voice, cello, flute and acoustic guitars. The finale, “The Reunion”, is more metal than most, veering between acoustic elements and odd-time-signature sections. The electric guitars are great here.
Undoubtedly it is the acoustic instrumentation that raises this album above standard metal infused progressive fare. The strings and flutes work particularly well, lending this material an air of the 'seventies’ which is no bad thing. Note must be made of the two flautists, Eve Harrison and Rachel Kiel, who lend this album a unique character. The overall production is excellent, while Scott Slagsvol's packaging is superb, created in fake ‘aged’ style; very good indeed. As for the lyrics and theme, this hardened old atheist found them somewhat baffling - but Byron Schoen has a flair for a good image; that is certain.
A recommended release. The band is playing 3RProgfest in 2009, so catch them there.
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