Album Review :
Fallstar - Reconciler, Refiner, Igniter
By Eric Pettersson in Reviews | Comments closed
Artist: Fallstar
Album: Reconciler, Refiner, Igniter
Label: Come & Live! Records
Release Date: March 29, 2011
Reviewer: Eric Pettersson
Tracklisting
- Hunters
- Black Clouds
- Reconciler
- Horse without a Rider
- Saratoga Springs
- Lurchers
- Drunkaholics Anonymous
- Face to the Floor
- Contortionist
- Windows
“Love will swallow me whole!” With this cry, Portland, Oregon, metalheads Fallstar reveal the heart of their latest release, Reconciler, Refiner, Igniter. With a very bass-heavy brand of metalcore, these guys deliver a message of God’s love overcoming the darkness and consuming this world with God’s power.
Imagine the deep guttural vocals sometimes used by He Is Legend or Underoath, turn up the bass, make things a little crazy, then include some seriously melodic parts like either of those bands would do, and you’ve got the basic idea for Fallstar’s debut on Come&Live. It’s sometimes dark, sometimes catchy, sometimes gritty, sometimes epic, sometimes fun, but it is always heavy. At times it encroaches on Zao heaviness (especially when the hardcore vocals turn towards the higher end), but it tends to stay more on the low end both vocally and musically. When the melodic parts come in with clean vocals and tight riffs, it can sound like As Cities Burn or even Taking Back Sunday. There’s another element to these songs that may be confused for Southern flair or a big emo influence, but this element is best described as theatricality and showmanship. Fallstar is clearly having fun, and they want the listen to have fun too. They also have a story to tell, and they’re not afraid to use all the dramatic weight needed to tell that story. That story, of course, is the greatest story ever told: the gospel.
Overall: On one hand, Reconciler, Refiner, Igniter is like nothing I’ve ever heard. The finished product is so unique it was a bit of a challenge to write this review. But on the other hand, many of the elements here are not only familiar but well loved, at least by this reviewer. It’s got all the right pieces coming together for a sound that is fresh yet easy to pick up and enjoy.