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| | Chapters From A Vale Forlorn | | | Music Artist : | | Falconer | | Music Style : | | General | | Record Label : | | Metal Blade | | Release Date : | | 2002-03-12 | | Store Price : | | $11.98 | | Artistopia's Price: $11.98 | | Usually ships in 24 hours | | |
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CD Tracks/Songs
Disc 11. Decadence of Dignity
2. Enter The Glade
3. Lament Of A Minstrel
4. For Life and Liberty
5. We Sold Our Homesteads
6. The Clarion Call
7. Portals Of Light
8. Stand In Veneration
9. Busted To The Floor
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Other Artist Albums
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Customer Reviews of This Album/CD |
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 Fall to Your Knees and Yield for the Sky
Submitted on: 2007-09-11 |
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Scandinavian origins, a medieval name, and songs born of too many Dungeons & Dragons sessions could easily - and often do - add up to one mediocre metal band. But Swedish power metal outfit Falconer have enough tricks up their sleeve to set them apart.
Firstly, there's bandleader/guitarist Stefan Weinerhall. Weinerhall is blessed with a tremendous ear for melody and a passion for traditional European, and especially Celtic, folk music, imbuing Falconer's music with an appropriately epic medieval quality and giving them a tuneful edge over their contemporaries. But perhaps just as important to the delivery of the music itself is vocalist Mathias Blad. Going in for neither the incomprehensible grunting nor the shrill yowling of many heavy metal vocalists, Blad opts instead for a powerful, dramatic baritone that wouldn't sound out of place in a Broadway production, a circumstance born of his career as a professional actor in Swedish musical theatre.
The title of the band's second album, CHAPTERS FROM A VALE FORLORN, offers an apt description of the music within. With titles like "Decadence of Dignity" and "Enter the Glade", each song reads like a chapter in some grand medieval saga. Some of the highlights include the recorder-tinged "Lament of a Minstrel", the Tolkienesquely verbose "Stand in Veneration", and "The Clarion Call", a triumphant epic that makes you want to take up arms and answer the titular summons, all graced with gorgeous melodies and soaring leads. And emotions run highest on the heavenly (literally) ballad "Portals of Light", which portrays the plight of a lover whose loved one has passed on. As elsewhere on this record, the lyrics are overwrought and more than a little ham-fisted, but the majestic music and passionate vocals speak louder.
To call CHAPTERS FROM A VALE FORLORN silly or overdramatic is rather to miss the point. For while the album and Falconer themselves are all of these things, they do not simply indulge the conventions and stereotypes of power metal; they wholeheartedly embrace them and, in doing so, transcend them. And they make some great noise while they're at it. |
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 Not your typical power metal album
Submitted on: 2007-07-09 |
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You have to give Falconer credit for adding some new elements to the power metal genre. Rather than writing multi-part epics about dragons and knights or simply playing Helloween riffs at double-speed (that's right Rhapsody and DragonForce, you've been called out!), Falconer actually slows things down a bit, experimenting with melodies and incorporating folk elements into the traditional power metal style. They don't take it to the Jethro Tull-loving extent that Skyclad does, but they've definitely managed to set themselves apart from the pack with their unique style.
I'm one of the few who actually enjoyed their second album more than their self-titled debut. It's a lot more polished and professional, and the songwriting is greatly improved. Theatrical vocalist Matthias Blad seems a lot more comfortable in a metal role this time around, and as a result his performance sounds a lot more confident and dynamic. It's a shame he and the band parted ways after this album was released, because it was his steady voice that really made the melodies and folk aspects of the music work.
I'd recommend Falconer to any power metal fan that is looking for something different from the countless Gamma Ray/Rhapsody-type bands out there. Those bands have their place of course, but Falconer really is a breath of fresh air.
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 Not as good as their first
Submitted on: 2006-01-13 |
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| Not as good as their first album but it's still decent, there are a few boring parts though. Mathias Blad voice is still great as it was on the self title. I give this a 3.5 out of 5, this is not a great album but it has it's moments. |
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Best Vocalist in Power Metal
Submitted on: 2004-04-02 |
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| I am new to the genre of power metal. I'm more of a Cannibal Corpse kind of gal. However, when I heard that voice, I couldn't get enough of it. This guy can really sing! A lot of bands try too hard to sound like opera stars, but Falconer has serious vocal talent. I don't have the know-how to break down the music and really give you a detailed review of this album. But I can tell you that the album has standard renaissance rhythms that I found very enjoyable and even infectious. I just wanted to inform everybody out there that no matter what your metal taste, if you have an ear for quality vocals, you need to listen to this album. |
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Just as good as their 1st
Submitted on: 2004-01-27 |
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After listening to this CD for about a week, I definitely rated their 1st self titled CD to be superior. But, as I have now played this constantly for the past 2 months and also going back and listening to the 1st, I have to say that this is on par with that fantastic effort.
This CD is excellent, the guitars, the drums, the songs and especially the vocals are high quality. What a great voice this guy has, especially the fact that his voice is unique and mesmirizing.
So many bands try very hard to impress, but there is no substitute for pure natural talent. These guys are top of the pecking order, the best around. |
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