Review by Wiley on August 10, 2009.

Frenetic, dissonant, spastic, awash with the energy of some hyperactive childs form of relaxation - this album is all of this and more. Occasionally hitting upon a hook or groove, but rarely lasting long enough to truly be enjoyed. There are mellow moments drenched in off the wall jazz with vocals dreamily living on some
cloudy elevation high above the realm of believability. These guys truly do not let up assaulting the senses with off the wall rythms, broken flows of guitar, and beyond eccentric taste for the bizaare.

But lets now delve further, vocals approaching Mike Patton's flavor of insanity, or perplexing sanity, guitars that grit when they grind, and dream when they chill, a bass strong, warm, and more of a foundation, drums that match the spatter flipping all over in all manner of rythmic conglomerations, maybe over thought, or maybe just what this sort of spazz needs, and noise, samples, piano, mindless clusters of chaotic sound, amek your trip down the rabbit hole all the more torturous.

Now while I am painting a very David Lynch-esque picture, there are some similarities here that cannot go unnoted. Fact is everything seems a bit undone, or maybe perpetuated from the same stance as Sleepytime Gorilla Museum with hints of metal come earlier Dillinger Escape Plan's more math ridden achievements, and the vocals reeking of said Patton-esque diversity but bogged down in the neutrality of gutteral vomit grind and screams more akin to current hardcore metal. Very moving and always bringing about differing feels about every 10 seconds or so. I feel some serious nods to the wonder of Chris Dodge via the guitar and vocal sputterings that lack lyrics here and there, and the noise more of the same blotter as say early Exit 13. If I had to imagine what this would be as a painting, I might liken it to a painting of splattering cascades, or a Dali vision of his more abstract and cynically put together - multi messaged pieces.

The quality here is album quality, and this is a must as these Northwestern via Chicago boys really peel the paint with their scattering of riffs. The drums occassionally lose their bass to the layering of guitars, but not inaudibly, just lost as to impact. Fact is, with all that is going on in this recording, the only people capable of finding a different and more appropriate mix would be those involved. Highlights to the tester would be 'Houdini's Achilies(sp?)Heel', 'Cloud Of Synthetic Locusts', 'Pecking Out My Stained Glass Eye', and 'Teetering On The Edge Of Nothing'. Though I cannot claim to know what headspace these boys live, their grind occupies a good space in the compendium of off the wall metal - from the package presented here - I truly dont think they want you to really understand. Though
you might not find yourself having too many repeat listens (this is a very intense disc), if grind is your cup of tea - this might be an avenue you'd like to explore.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7.5
Atmosphere: 7.0
Production: 7.5
Originality:7.5
Overall: 7.5

Rating: 7.4 out of 10

Review by George on January 25, 2021.

Fall of the Leafe were one of many Finnish melodeath bands that formed in the 90s, who like most members of the scene later softened their sound to a more atmospheric, gothic metal approach. And from the first song of their first album, I can comfortably say that they find themselves at the very top of a scene brimming with talent.

Fall of the Leafe have a Maiden-esque approach to their riffs which can be heard from the very beginnings of 'The Celestial Keeper'. The difference between the two bands' guitarwork, however, is that instead of speedily 'galloping' as Maiden's riffs do, Fall of the Leafe instead opt for a more mid-tempo, steady approach, as if boldly striding through a mystical woodland. This is aided by a rhythmic drum beat which doesn't falter for the whole duration. I'm a fan of this approach - it doesn't get overwhelming, it doesn't feel like it's over too soon and it leaves the listener plenty of time to become immersed in Jussi Hänninen's eloquently constructed soundscapes.

Of course, 40 minutes of mid-paced riffs wouldn't be interesting if there was no variation, but luckily Hänninen delivers in spades on this front. We're treated to constant seamless transitions between different melodies, with the mood of the song also seeing a switch at these points (my favourite example being the way the rhythm guitar just drops away as the lead changes at halfway point of 'Starfire'). One interesting side-effect of many different emotions being contained within one song is that it makes the ends and beginnings of songs feel less significant, so as a whole Evanescent, Everfading feels like a singular, cohesive piece with many atmospheres, arcs, twists, and turns. While that means each song absolutely holds up on its own, it's an album I find myself incredibly unwilling to pause halfway through, wanting to experience the odyssey from start to finish.

The riffs and even to an extent the way they're weaved together are comparable to several of Fall of the Leafe's contemporaries such as Amorphis and Insomnium, but one thing that is completely unique to them is their vocals. Jani Lindstrom gives us a full tour of his capabilities, from mid-range black metal screams to secretive whispers to storytelling, narrative spoken-word segments. The vocals change in mood and tempo as often as the riffs, which is a detail that most melodeath of this calibre lacks and thus that I really appreciate.

The lyrics are just beautiful, there's no other way to put it. They play into the sense of exploration and wonder carried by the guitarwork and occasional integration of subtle synths, with imagery of nature, grandiosity and mysticism. Lindstrom's poems speak of gods, starlight, mortality and how raw, human emotion fits into the puzzle of existence. From what I know of the band's writing process, Hänninen would write a song then hand it over to Lindstrom who would write lyrics to fit it. And he takes the riffs given to him and draws out every bit of emotion in them, eloquently expressing feelings I find it hard to even begin describing. If you're still wondering about the overall mood of this album after reading this review, take a look at the lyrics - they're a much better indicator than I could dream to be.

Overall, Evanescent, Everfading pretty neatly encapsulates why I love Finnish music, being one of many near-perfect melodeath albums to come out of the country in its heyday. It's a one-of-a-kind record, and despite hours spent searching the depths of the metal archives I have never been able to find anything quite like it. Plenty tried and plenty came close, but the atmosphere and mysticism reached here is unparalleled and sadly none of the rest of Fall of the Leafe's material comes close, as they suffered from both the loss of the vocalist shortly after the album and a radical shift in sound later on. Evanescent, Everfading, however, will always stand tall, a towering monument of its homeland.

Rating: 9.8 out of 10