Band: Falloch
Title: Where Distant Spirits Remain
Label: Candlelight Records
Distribution: Bertus
Release date: September 26th 2011
Review: CD

With the aim to create music which conveys atmosphere and emotion through a wide variation of genres, Falloch were formed last year (2010) by Andy Marshall and Scott McLean. They named their project after the Falls of Falloch, a location with mysterious waterfalls in Crianlarich, Scotland.

Where Distant Spirits Remain is Falloch’s debut album, recorded at the end of 2010 and mastered earlier this year by legendary producer Ronan Chris Murphy (of King Crimson / Ulver–fame). Around that time, Falloch signed a contract with Candlelight Records to release this first official studio effort, which has duration of more than fifty minutes.

The lyrical inspiration is connected to the historical and geographical roots of both band members, of course – mind the moniker. Yet not only nature is a source of inspiration; so are nostalgia, sorrow and longing.

When it comes to the musical side of Falloch, there’s some marriage between melancholic and somewhat experimental Post-Rock and bleak, melodic Metal, with a nice interaction between acoustic and organic Folk parts (mind the flutes). In contradiction to many ‘alike’ bands - and I’m thinking about the Prophecy-roster amongst others - there are no major references to the Black Metal scene, at least not vocally, even though many of the heavier riffs could have been written / performed by a Black-oriented band as well, don’t get me wrong. The whole sounds rather related to the (Neo) Folk-scene or the Epic Post-Metal genre than any form of “Extreme’ Metal whatsoever. More than half of the time, the whole sounds desperate and somewhat back-grounded, but sometimes Falloch are pretty intense and powerful as well. Once in a while these heavier pieces are a little bombastic, yet the main focus is situated on nimble, sweet-hearted uncomfort. A few surprising climaxes are top-notch (like the mystic instrumental Horizons or the semi-blasting yet epic part in Where We Believe) and more than once Falloch claim my attention with outstanding excerpts. But unfortunately it bores me too regularly as well. Where Distant Spirits Remain is born out of some wonderful ideas for sure, but the elaboration can’t please me whole the time.

72/100

Ivan Tibos.