For those looking for something different in the folk metal style comes Appalachian themed but United States made, ‘Falls of Rauros’. This is first full-length release made by Fall of Rauros and some of the tracks on here have been heard before on the
Window of the Eye demo.
Into the Archaic may not be the best thing listeners will ever hear, and in no way are they trying to accomplish the impossible. Falls of Rauros are many things that you expect from a folk metal band. There is the assortment of harp and wind melody lines adding to a respectable harmony level, as well as the aggression found within many other acts. Ultimately however it’s the progression and the bands lack of diversity that lets this record down, coupled with poor production.
When listeners first try out
Into the Archaic it can be assumed that they will first look for the positives. However they might just find themselves looking harder than first thought. While there are some interesting combinations between differing elements i.e. the sweet melodic wind instruments that dance above and below the typical aggression of distorted guitars and moderately fast drum patterns. There lacks any overly interesting features to maintain the attention of the listener, especially for a longer period of time. Tracks like ‘Contemplation of the Forgotten’ and ‘A Silent Premonition (Of Our End)’ may not be straight up disappointing but they lack flair and creativity shown by bands such as Korpiklaani or Moonsorrow (whom could be considered a couple of the genre's heavyweights) and listeners will feel as if they have heard better elsewhere.
When focusing on the positives it can be noted that the music itself is not actually bad. The tone colour provided here shows the normal array of instruments that can be seen in everyday folk metal bands. The guitars, drums and bass lines are all present here as well as wind instruments that feed some of the natural themes being presented lyrically. These themes are a rough mixture of nature and the bands belief in returning the world to a ‘before Christian times’, a radical upheaval of the modern world. The vocals add contrast to the warm acoustic passages and sweet melodic sections, whilst complimenting the ‘heavy’ passages that are prominent throughout the record. Highlighting the album is the track ‘Revisitation’ which is a great example of points already mentioned. The track starts off with a warm introduction with a plucked acoustic guitar, before being accompanied by the drums. The same basic themes are prevalent here and continue for the most part before leading into a thicker sound combined with other elements of the band.
Falls Of Rauros are in no way ground-breaking, nor are they overly attention grabbing. The tracks are solid but lack the flair and creativity shown by most other acts. Before listeners tumble head first into this record, they should be aware of the quality to make sure they are not blown away by any (if at all) hype.
Into The Archaic represents a level of growth shown by the band to move from ‘demo’ to ‘full-length release’ and hopefully that growth continues in future recordings.
