A Collapse of Faith

So here we are again. As winter knocks at our doors this October, those of us in the metal world are consciously searching for music to fit a precise mindset. How appropriate then, that Finland's October Falls has yet again decided to release their latest full-length this month. As coldness and darkness begin to become part of our lives, we seek out music that will correlate with the change that takes place. Although I can't be certain, I would say that October Falls has purposely delivered music that serves as a metaphor of the transition from Autumn to Winter. Just as the ground isn't completely frozen, just as all the leaves on the trees have not yet fallen and withered, A Collapse of Faith is more about the changing of seasons than it is about anything else.

Mikko Lehto, the mastermind behind October Falls, seems to be treading the same path he paved two years ago with the release of The Womb of Primordial Nature. For those of you who have yet to hear any of Lehto's work, I strongly recommend purchasing Marras Eight Hymns For Sheol And Nature before doing anything else. It's one of those special albums in which the sounds of Winter are captured in the most creative and precise manner, making the listener's experience painfully memorable. October Falls has changed considerably since then, as much of its main focus derives sounds from a more straightforward style of black metal as opposed to the ethereal sounds of Mother Nature.

A Collapse of Faith contains three parts, two of which are around eighteen minutes in length, followed by a five-and-a-half-minute closer. Surely, two eighteen-minute-long tracks might seem like a bit of a chore, especially upon the first couple of listens, but once the songs sink in, they grow to truly captivate the listener. It's hard not to immediately think of Ulver's Bergtatt - Et Eeventyr i 5 Capitler as a familiar tone of acoustic passages backed by sound effects of rain and fire starts the album off slowly, before being overrun by slower-paced blastbeats and graceful tremolo. In "Part I," these two blackened folk elements play off each other every few minutes. Perhaps the entire track is meant to serve as a metaphor for the cold, dreary weather that so often teases us with an early October visit before retreating for a short while. I'd like to think that it does. Although the entire album seems to follow this general back-and-forth transitioning, the intensity of the album increases with each new track. "Part II" delivers countless fresh riffs, all of which are accompanied by increasingly intense blasting and some of the overall best vocals you'll hear in black metal. All together, it's enough to make you think Christmas came early. Not only are the growls inhumanly long-lasting, but they begin to overlap so as to produce an additional instrument to bombard the listener. The soft, depressing notes of a piano bring the album to "Part III," which is just as powerful as its predecessor, albeit doomier. The sadness within the final minutes of A Collapse of Faith, much like the cold, just grabs you completely by the balls. Winter is here.

Every serious music listener seeks originality above all else. The question that those who listen to A Collapse of Faith will face, is whether music can stand the test of time without being completely original. Personally, I haven't been able to find an answer to that question, but I do believe that Lehto is headed in a direction of his own, even if the latter releases of October Falls might not have the uniqueness that initially set October Falls apart. The comparison of Lehto's music to Opeth's Morningrise has been made before, and it's still quite accurate. However, A Collapse of Faith is more refined on every level and may even be more enjoyable if it wasn't for the nostalgia that came along listening to early Ulver or Opeth. Needless to say, Mikko Lehto has, for the third time, created a full-length that should be mandatory listening for this time of year. Maybe next time October Falls might want to consider releasing a full-length in April for all of those metalheads South of the Equator. Just a thought.

Originally written for MetalReview.com

On a mid-summer night in July, the heat literally blisters through my house as if the air conditioning, that was set on 70 degrees, is merely non-existent. The waves of heat punch my face over and over until it’s to the point that I can’t take anymore and I have to A) jump in the pool, B) take a very, very cold shower or C) throw on some October Falls and let the imaginary rain from Finland wash me away. The experience I’ve had with October Falls ranges from very ambient/folk records that M. Lehto released when it was his solo project, all the way until now with “A Collapse of Faith”. “A Collapse of Faith” is borderline folk/ambient/dark metal with a tiny pinch of black metal thrown in for good pleasure. The only reason I really put this record into the black metal genre is because it has those distorted guitar elements in sections that will really set the gloom and coldness into your chest.

So, as the heat from the Arkansas summer rip my face to pieces and melts my skin so much that it’s to the point I want to jump off a huge cliff, “A Collapse of Faith” saves the day. With the way this record flows so gently and easily, most would say that it’s just one forty minute song, only chopped up into three different tracks. I have to agree with that statement, only because if you never glance at the device this record is playing on, you’ll never know when one song ends and the next starts. Tracks that last nearly nineteen minutes in length are godsends, only because if I didn’t have nearly half an hour songs, I might blow a ton of shit up with so all the rage that short songs provide me with. “A Collapse of Faith” provides me with calmness and atmospheres that make me wish it would rain and pour for days on end while I lay in the middle of the yard just enjoying every drop of rain that hits me.

The piano and acoustic sections in this record are the two things that shine the most, in my opinion. Although I love how heavy, raw and gut-filled the heavier sections are, the slower, more classical sections are what grabbed me by the heart and had me wanting to marry this record from the start. Normally, I would try to paint some form of picture for all you guys and gals but in all honesty, the picture is already painted and I can’t describe how beautiful the world is that October Falls created with “A Collapse of Faith”. I’ll say this, the landscapes are very high, mountains that peak into the clouds, oceans that are free from all evil and foggy beaches that are glorious to relax in while the sprinkles fall from heaven.

In a state where the summers are beyond humid with temperatures hitting a hundred an twenty with the heat index and winters that are cold as balls, I need something to cool me down and heat me up from time to time. October Falls’ “A Collapse of Faith” is exactly what I ordered for the job. It provides me with an escape route that not many records have been able to do and I’m very pleased that this record has surpassed the expectations I had for it.

Originally written for: http://bloodorlove.domesticgenocide.com/

October Falls is a progressive black metal project from Finland. Created as an outlet for M. Lehto (vocals, music), V. Metsola (bass) and M. Tarvonen (drums) came into the fold. After two full-lengths and experimental folk EPs this is the most unique undertaking project he has attempted yet.

While previous albums have dabbled in songs that could be put together in a concept-like form or like a stream of songs in their flow, this is the first record where Lehto has decided to make only one song. This one song is just over 40 minutes, but is divided into 3 separate parts that flow into one another seamlessly. One song on an album is usually one of two things, completely boring and a total waste of time or an epic piece of work, this falls into the latter.
October Falls' previous outputs have compared them to groups like Opeth, Katatonia, and early Ulver, all of which can be seen, though this album really isn't all that different in that regard, this track seems to transcend all of it's influences or comparisons. While the 3 dividing tracks on here, except the last track, are all over 15 minutes, they never feel long at all.

There is enough going on within here to make it seem like only half the time. There are still moments of prog rock, black metal, and folk on here, but never before have they been blended this well.
There are enough dynamic shifts within a track to make an Opeth fan salivate. But be weary, long songs/tracks that flow together into one might not have the intended effect on some, there is little to no wankery on this album, choosing a route less explored by using less soloing, there are still solos, and more atmospheric builds. When the band goes metal, it's melodically aggressive and pounding, when the band go folk, it's melancholic and mournful.

Melody is another thing that this album contains a great deal of throughout. No matter what section of the album you put on, the all acoustic folk guitar parts, the blazing black metal riffs, or the balladous piano moment at the end of part two, melody is always there. This fact should be enough to entice people into at least checking this out, just knowing that this isn't too out there for someone to get into, it's not proggy enough to make you think that all of this is pure wank territory, it's not black metal enough to keep your adrenaline pumping from start to finish, and it's not folky enough to make you think beer and parties, this thing could easily double for another, not copy mind you, version of Opeth's early years, think "Morningrise"-era.

Overall, this is a fantastic release that perfectly exudes the presence of progression. This is a record that truly becomes better with each listen and does not grow old quickly. If you're into bands mentioned above or any of their comparisons, this is a must.

Highlights: Every Track Is A Highlight

Originally written for:
http://dontcountonitreviews.blogspot.com

More organically sumptuous black metal now in the form of Finland's mysterious act October Falls who are another looking to cap off a great couple of years in this field of BM keen on espousing the genre's darkness without the theatre or Satanism. On third album "A Collapse Of Faith" previous exhortations into the worlds of folk-infused ambient spirituality and a Katatonia/Opeth-like metal tendency have been mixed brilliantly into a resulting album that manages to hint at some of my personal favourite acts in Drudkh, Wolves in the Throne Room, Agalloch, Ulver and the aforementioned Swedes yet manages to not sound quite like any of them.

I don't know just what has caused a number of bands to refrain from the traditional (read: boring and clichéd) topics of BM in the recent few years but the natural, earthy, honest and majestic feel of bands like October Falls appeal to me very much and with good reason. "A Collapse Of Faith" comprises just three songs in a sequential naming order, with "A Collapse Of Faith I" and "A Collapse Of Faith II" riding in at the best parts of 19 and 18 minutes each and a good reason for why the album has earned the adjectives above. The length of these two songs, reminiscent of Opeth's tendencies, ensures the songs never feel rushed. In these vast expanses of time each song is built upon a layer of earthly warmth from the uncomplicated pronounced production to the liberal usage of the sounds of running water and crackling fire, making me feel like I have been sat out in the darkness of some woodland rather than the urban decay of north London. After making it through this short passage the opener bursts into life with some scintillating lead guitar work that reappears frequently throughout the song, marking October Fall's eye for noting how Mikael Akerfeldt remains one of the few men in metal to make a guitar truly weep. Besides this feature which alone marks the song as the pick of the album, the song has no shame in floating effortlessly between moments of acoustic plucked guitar and atmospheric reflection before their heavier moments, probably more 'dark metal' given the relative lack of treble in their guitar tone, work comfortably in conjunction with the hoarse vocals of M. Lehto to produce some finely transcendental periods of easily enjoyable black metal.

The unbroken lead-off from tracks 1 to 2 is reflective of the similar style in which this song operates as the top-notch lead guitar work is replaced by a few hints of Bathory at their epic finest. I would say that a greater differential between these two tracks would have benefitted the album more as the feel is more of a 37-minute song than two individual pieces. Track three has OF showing less initial interest in the earthy ambience at the heart of the opening track, but atmosphere is still aplenty as the 5-minute concluding song shows off further influences from the songwriting class of Opeth and a high level of panache as the album ends not with a whimper but the cry of mother nature, beckoning to man through the restrained beauty of October Falls' music.

What "A Collapse Of Faith" lacks in immediacy is made up in the delicate and thoughtful construction of the three songs here as you are guaranteed to be hearing the songs in different ways for any number of spins as I have. It might not quite be there in matching some of the works of other 'organic' bands in their field but as if I needed any more evidence, this sure as hell kicks lumps out of the po-faced Satanism the vast majority foul the name of the black metal with. Attention should really start turning in this direction...

Originally written for www.Rockfreaks.net

I'll keep this short, because there isn't much new to say that hasn't been said more eloquently and articulately in the reviews of the previous two releases.

Like 'Streams of the End' and 'Womb of Primordial Nature', this album carefully blends extended parts of electric and acoustic set against a background of melancholy and the sublime power of nature. The album, separated into three parts of length 18:49, 17:42 and 5:28 respectively, and is a wide cascade of themes and styles. There are hints of very early Ulver and the melodic ferocity of Drudkh, but these are always only a suggestion making it clear this is still a very unique and defined effort.

Like with the previously mentioned releases, the dedication to a solid musical backbone and rhythm is still present and this reflects in the fact that the final product doesn't single out any particular instrumental part of layer of recording. The production ensures that the sound achieved is fuller and no single aspect lags behind the rest, or jumps out into the limelight. If I am to criticise anything then perhaps I'll allow myself to admit that this dedication to consistency prevents any part of the song to really hook you. There is no addictive theme, no soaring lead riff that defines a particular track in your head, nothing to really make it stick.

But that's not to say that this album isn't a memorable experience- far from it! The sound itself is pleasurable and you'll lose yourself in its thick ether very quickly.

To finish then, this release was much anticipated and has proven itself to be worth the wait. Once more, October Falls gifts us with something truly immersive and enjoyable and just like the previous releases- refuses to let go until the very end.