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Faal - The Clouds Are Burning review



Reviewer:
9.0

64 users:
8.16
Band: Faal
Album: The Clouds Are Burning
Release date: March 2012


01. My Body Glows Red
02. The Insistance's Wish
03. Tempest
04. The Clouds Are Burning

When is epic fail epic win?

When it's Faal's epic four track full-length The Clouds Are Burning.

Many moons ago, my Doom Pusher, Marcel, sent me a package with a bunch of t-shirts, promo materials, and disks. Faal's Abhorrence - Salvation was probably my favorite of the goodies inside.

A couple years later, they have finally followed up the EP with the monstrous album, The Clouds Are Burning. While early in the year, I imagine this will still be near the top of the ridiculous musical goodie bag that is 2012.

Faal play a blackened form of doom metal - combining the standard low end growls with counterpoint rasps to tweak the mood. Other times sees the slow moving riffs paired against thundering rapid fire drums. Doom is an expansive, stylistically varying genre, and Faal have no problem dooming outside the box and shifting from the thundering glacial creep of most extreme doom acts and into the midpace swagger-driven riffs of traditional doom acts, such as in the opening riff of "Tempest". Hell, they even push the boundaries to, gasp, fast-paced black metal pounding midway through "The Insistance's Wish".

Further factor in some leads, keyboard backing and hellish psychedelia a la Esoteric and you are in for one hell of a ride. (Side note - Esoteric's Greg Chandler was involved in the mixing and mastering of this monstrosity.)

Their willingness to explore beyond formulas A and B (A - 70 minutes, 3 songs, 0.15bpm; B - 70 minutes, 3 songs, shifting to ambient passages then back to crushing doom, all at 0.15bpm), yet with that overwhelming vibe of crushing despair present at all times, makes this a dynamic listen. It does a masterful job of sucking the listener in and dragging them under, with the shifts in approach and speed simply being different currents of the water in which you drown.

So, at least for today, epic Faal is epic win.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 9
Originality: 8
Production: 9





Written on 27.04.2012 by BitterCOld has been officially reviewing albums for MetalStorm since 2009.


Comments

Comments: 40   Visited by: 336 users
27.04.2012 - 04:54
Boxcar Willy
yr a kook
Tagging issue in the first paragraph

Seems interesting, I will check this out right now. To Youtube!
----
14:22 - Marcel Hubregtse
I do your mum

DESTROY DRUM TRIGGERS
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27.04.2012 - 06:38
strade

BitterCOld's high scores are always to be taken seriously. Will check this out.
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My lo-fi synth project: http://luciddreamer.bandcamp.com
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27.04.2012 - 06:58
-DC-002-
Mastercommander
I like this one a lot more then the previous album. Never really got into that one.
----
Coldgrits
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27.04.2012 - 07:53
Rating: 9
Cynic Metalhead
Paisa Vich Nasha
I was introduced to this band by the song " Perpetual Solitude" which struck in my mind for months and indeed that was one hell of great album. From a first listen, i thought it's a intercourse of Ahab and Esoteric( vocally!) and very underrated bunch of dark Doom guys who needs an another good release to grab some really good fans and see...this album came up their best and will do wonders.
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27.04.2012 - 08:22
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Intrigued to say the least.
----
"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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27.04.2012 - 09:13
Rating: 9
BitterCOld
The Ancient One
Truthfully i was going to score it an 8 based upon first couple listens, but the more i listened to it, the more i found stuff i really enjoyed here and there... with each passing listen i found i appreciated it more. the vast majority of albums seem to go the opposite route for me.
----
get the fuck off my lawn.

Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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27.04.2012 - 12:01
Merchant of Doom

A "must have", this year, for all doom worshippers...
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27.04.2012 - 12:10
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Written by -DC-002- on 27.04.2012 at 06:58

I like this one a lot more then the previous album. Never really got into that one.


The previous one was actually their demo. But Vàn Records picked it up and released it as their debut. It was all home recording and such.
----
Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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27.04.2012 - 12:52
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
They have a song up on Bandcamp.

It sounds pretty massive and excellent.
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27.04.2012 - 14:29
Spirit Molecule
spirit molecule
Written by Guest on 27.04.2012 at 12:52

They have a song up on Bandcamp.

It sounds pretty massive and excellent.

Yep sounds pretty good. Must remember to check out the full album sometime.
----
If you never wake up from a dream does it become reality?

Last fm
Don't click here
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27.04.2012 - 17:09
Rating: 9
Draugen

It has been a while since I last listened to some extreme doom. I will give this a shot.
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28.04.2012 - 13:29
Merchant of Doom

Written by Draugen on 27.04.2012 at 17:09

It has been a while since I last listened to some extreme doom. I will give this a shot.



It's not that extreme...
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28.04.2012 - 13:38
Rating: 9
Draugen

Written by Merchant of Doom on 28.04.2012 at 13:29

It's not that extreme...


Well compared to the doom releases I've listened to so far this year I would consider it at least more extreme.
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28.04.2012 - 13:43
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Written by Draugen on 28.04.2012 at 13:38

Written by Merchant of Doom on 28.04.2012 at 13:29

It's not that extreme...


Well compared to the doom releases I've listened to so far this year I would consider it at least more extreme.


It is extreme dom though not extremely extreme but a lot more extreme than what some people deem extreme doom or what was nominated in the MS Awards extreme doom category.

Faal you could classify as black doom hence extreme doom.
----
Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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28.04.2012 - 15:14
Rating: 9
InnerSelf
proofread free
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 28.04.2012 at 13:43

It is extreme ....... extremely extreme ....... extreme ........ extreme........... extreme doom ........

Faal ....... extreme .......


I've only heard the debut and it was .... arrgh extreme I still need to check this one out asap
----
He who is not bold enough
to be stared at from across the abyss
is not bold enough
to stare into it himself.
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28.04.2012 - 15:31
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
^ Hahahahahahahaha
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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28.04.2012 - 18:08
koob

*yawn*
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28.04.2012 - 19:16
Rating: 9
BitterCOld
The Ancient One
Written by InnerSelf on 28.04.2012 at 15:14

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 28.04.2012 at 13:43

It is extreme ....... extremely extreme ....... extreme ........ extreme........... extreme doom ........

Faal ....... extreme .......


I've only heard the debut and it was .... arrgh extreme I still need to check this one out asap


be careful, it might be...
----
get the fuck off my lawn.

Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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28.04.2012 - 19:37
Rating: 9
InnerSelf
proofread free
Written by BitterCOld on 28.04.2012 at 19:16

be careful, it might be...

Hahahahaha somehow I saw that coming
----
He who is not bold enough
to be stared at from across the abyss
is not bold enough
to stare into it himself.
Loading...
29.04.2012 - 09:46
Merchant of Doom

I was talking about the music itself, not the genre. Just because they were put in the extreme doom category at the MS Awards doesn't mean they have to be that extreme. The album is quite melodic, actually.
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01.05.2012 - 18:30
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Probably some of the best Esoteric worship I've come across to date.

But I'm thinking that's because I don't often come across Esoteric worship at all, unfortunately. Hopefully Chandler lends his expertise to a few more bands...
----
"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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02.05.2012 - 00:19
Rating: 9
InnerSelf
proofread free
Written by Troy Killjoy on 01.05.2012 at 18:30

Probably some of the best Esoteric worship I've come across to date.

But I'm thinking that's because I don't often come across Esoteric worship at all, unfortunately. Hopefully Chandler lends his expertise to a few more bands...

sorry for going off-topic but this intrigued me :
Only band I know that falls under this category is Arcana Coelestia, any other bands I should know about ?
----
He who is not bold enough
to be stared at from across the abyss
is not bold enough
to stare into it himself.
Loading...
02.05.2012 - 01:06
Ernis
狼獾
Does the name Faal rhyme with the English verb "fail"? I assumed it would be like adding an "l" to the word "far"...
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02.05.2012 - 01:23
Rating: 9
BitterCOld
The Ancient One
Written by Ernis on 02.05.2012 at 01:06

Does the name Faal rhyme with the English verb "fail"? I assumed it would be like adding an "l" to the word "far"...


faal is actually closer to "fahl", but it means fail.
----
get the fuck off my lawn.

Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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02.05.2012 - 05:34
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by InnerSelf on 02.05.2012 at 00:19
...any other bands I should know about ?

Probably, and when you know about them you should report back to me!
----
"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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02.05.2012 - 15:09
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Written by Ernis on 02.05.2012 at 01:06

Does the name Faal rhyme with the English verb "fail"? I assumed it would be like adding an "l" to the word "far"...


nope Faal doesn't rhyme with fail.
Like BitterCOld said it is close to fahl the way Faal is pronounced and faal is the Dutch word for fail.
----
Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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02.05.2012 - 16:50
Ernis
狼獾
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 02.05.2012 at 15:09

nope Faal doesn't rhyme with fail.
Like BitterCOld said it is close to fahl the way Faal is pronounced and faal is the Dutch word for fail.

Thanks, now the wordplay does make sense indeed : )
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02.05.2012 - 16:53
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Written by Ernis on 02.05.2012 at 16:50


Thanks, now the wordplay does make sense indeed : )


yes it does. But then again Faal have been confronted by that sort of wordplay ever since their first ever gig midway 2008
----
Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

Loading...
02.05.2012 - 19:58
Rating: 9
BitterCOld
The Ancient One
Damnit. you mean i'm not the first to play with the obvious?
----
get the fuck off my lawn.

Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
Loading...
02.05.2012 - 20:30
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Written by BitterCOld on 02.05.2012 at 19:58

Damnit. you mean i'm not the first to play with the obvious?


Nope

I remember at their debut gig when they opened for Officium Triste who had their try out gig with their latest drummer, the following conversation between Pim and me "well, hopefully this Faal won't be a fail"
----
Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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