The Summary Judgment Reviews:
Title: Falconer
Artist: Falconer
Label: Metal Blade
Release Date: 5/8/01

Rating: 5 Skulls

  • Read the Reviews of Chapters from a Vale Forlorn
  • Official Web Site for This Artist
  • Discuss on the Metal Judgment Web Board
  • Read/Submit Reader Reviews of This Album

    • Reviewed by Famine (5/31/01):
    Imagine storming that one-legged Jethro Tull guy, wrestling the flute away from him and shoving it so far up his ass that it found its permanent home in that dark crevasse. First of all, he would probably lose his balance. Second, his pain and anger just might cause the music to take a darker, more aggressive turn. It might sound a bit like Falconer.

    But please don't let me confuse you too much. Falconer does not really sound like Jethro Tull. The vocals to these ears are stylistically similar to the aforementioned stork-man, but, really, any comparisons must end there. The unique clean vocals, though, are an extremely important ingredient in the Falconer formula and keep this album from falling in with the glut of new power metal we've seen flowing from Europe over the last few years.

    Falconer is the brain-child of Mithotyn guitarist Stefan Weinerhall and drums are held down by Mithotyn's Karsten Larsson, so it is no surprise that their former band's folkish elements are a big part of the debut's sound. For this reason, the album sounds a bit like a cross between Nocturnal Rites and Vintersorg. The epic nature also brings Borknagar to mind. Butsearching for comparisons here is like trying to pull a flute out of my ass.

    Falconer's greatness lies in the fact that it is very hard to compare them to anyone. The clean vocals will cause people to label the band power metal, but that term really doesn't do the Swedes justice. The music falls somewhere between speed metal and classic metal. In fact, although the album doesn't sound dated, it sounds as if it was created outside of any influence from the music of the last decade. There is an old, leathery feel to this album. It combines old metal's classic-sounding riffs with ancient melody and produces a timeless piece of art. Yet it is as fresh as if all the elements were cryogenically frozen for Falconer's use when the time was right.

    And the time is right. In many ways, European melodic death and power metal has gotten a bit stale. Falconer was just the breath of fresh air that I needed. This is headbanging, fist-pounding music that needs to be heard. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this is not the last we'll hear from this talented band.
    5 out of 5

    [- Metal Judgment Home -]    [- Email Metal Judgment -]
    ©1999 Metal Judgment. All rights reserved.