April 24, 2008 | | 3.5

Fall of Serenity, The Crossfire

Deciding to step up their Swedish melodic death metal influences to the next level, Fall of Serenity made some major overhauls with regard to their line-up since the release of 2006’s Bloodred Salvation. Jumping from bass, John Gahlert now takes on the duty of lead growls — and does so with great success. Swapping in his guitar for the bass, Alex Fischer’s now vacant guitarist slot has been filled with new band member Ferdinand Rewicki. Essentially, after all is said and done, the new Fall of Serenity is a brand new band nearly starting out from scratch.

Their renewed energies and focus is clearly evident in The Crossfire, proving to be the band’s strongest and most varied release to date. The German quartet’s Swedish influences are still the base for their take on melodic death metal, but now there’s a much more aggressive edge to their sound. It’s got a renewed ferocity and vigor to it that’s refreshing and a welcome kick in the pants when compared to some of the imitators to the crown of the genre. Let’s not forget that the disc was also mixed and mastered by Dan Swano.

Immortal Kingdom
The albums opener hits with a great riff before blindsiding you with pummeling drums and a huge scream from Gahlert. The group quickly settle into a groove as the vocals really kick in and just as quickly shift to some mosh heavy guitars and rhythms. The pace of this one lets you know that you’ll be in for a ride for the remainder of the album. There are some nice melodies weaving throughout this one, as well as catchy backing vocals.

Knife to Meet You
I love the title to this one, and the start as well — the opening guitar work is memorable as it shifts into melodic death metal mode. This one definitely has that Swedish sound to it, but the band does well to mix it up with crushing breakdowns and tempo changes. This track is long enough to encompass many elements of metal, from grinding rhythms to melodic guitars. Impressive to say the least.

Recreating
“Recreating” starts off with another memorable bit of guitar work and catchy rhythms. Once the vocals come in the beat shifts abit to a nice chugging rhythm and driving guitars. The melodic backing vocals are a nice touch to this one and give the song a rich sound. I love the feel to the vocals at the start of the two minute mark — there’s just that extra bit of added vehemence. The guitar and vocal combo at the 3:15 mark is great and is joined with a nice lead.

The Crossfire
The title track starts with a subtle chaotic feel with multiple tempos and guitar sweeps before settling into a thrashing pace. These guys do well to encompass the spectrum of melodic death metal into a cohesive and solid album — never sticking to just melodies or technical prowess, but combining both to perfection. The bludgeoning assault at the 1:20 mark is short but impressive. I love the pummeling rhythms just after the two minute mark, as well.

A Whore Called Freedom
I guess you can imagine that the lyrics to this one will be politically charged, and you’d be correct. The chugging feel to this track fits the vocals wonderfully, incorporating a more aggressive feel to the band’s sound. The group vocals are a nice addition to the repertoire as well.

Funeral Eclipse
I love the opening drum work to “Funeral Eclipse” mixed with melodic guitars. The drums are definitely the standout element in a well rounded and impressive track. The vocals on this one are impressive, especially during the chorus. The breakdown at the 2:10 mark is a nice touch as it quickly dissolves into a churning mass of thrash and melodies. There are some crazy progressive sounding clean vocals just before the four minute mark that come out of nowhere. They’re an interesting touch and definitely wake you up if you’ve been dozing.

Act of Grace
This next one builds slowly as the band joins in one by one before getting into a high paced groove. There’s plenty of head banging goodness throughout “Act of Grace.” The melodic guitar work around the 1:35 mark is impressive and opens up the song nicely before it shifts back into pummel mode.

In Case of Death
The chugging rhythms to this next song keep the momentum flowing nicely as the vocals come into play. We hear a few vocal effects (an echo) for the first time. It’s a nice, subtle touch. This is one of those songs that is catchy as hell and should have plenty of mass appeal.

Blindfolded
“Blindfolded” features Sabina Classen of Holy Moses and Temple of the Absurd on guest vocals. It opens up with a memorable bit of riffing and drum work. There’s is pummeling groove to this song as the band tears through it at a steady pace. Gahlert expands his vocal range a bit, hitting deeper growls on a couple of occasions. Classen’s portions are a nice touch as it changes up the make up of the band’s sound nicely.

Blood Portrait
The closer for The Crossfire starts off with a great thrash influenced bit of riffing and a tremendous lead before the layered vocals kick in. The track is a strong ending to an impressive release. It’s heavily thrashed out, but incorporates melodic elements effectively. Plus the tempo changes throughout keep you on your toes for the remaining minutes of the album.

~ ~ ~

It’s amazing what a shift in a band’s line-up can do to re-energize its sound. With this latest release, Fall of Serenity, prove that they are not another lamb in the melodic death metal flock. Their renewed efforts show that the genre is far from stale and a band can certainly set themselves apart from the crowd with a little effort.

Favorite Tracks:
Knife to Meet You
Recreating
The Crossfire
Funeral Eclipse
Act of Grace
In Case of Death

Additional Notes:
N/A