Band:	As The Sun Falls
Album:	Where The Silence Reigns
Style:	Melodic death metal
Release date:	October 2023

01. The Wanderer
02. Trees As My Gravestone
03. Where The Silence Reigns

I enjoy when unusual yet irrelevant patterns occur in the release schedule. One such instance was when two melodeath bands with names centered around the descent of a particular celestial body both released debut albums in 2021: Fallensun and As The Sun Falls. Of the two, my fellow staffers were generally more allured by Fallensun, but I personally was keener on the latter band, who are now releasing what is their fourth EP, Where The Silence Reigns.

As The Sun Falls aren’t an original band; anyone who hears them would exhibit zero surprise in discovering that the group are based in Finland. The 2021 debut full-length album Last Days Of Light was firmly in the Insomnium Finnish melancholic melodeath style, and that very much continues on Where The Silence Reigns. However, although there are a plethora of such bands currently active, there can be obvious differences in quality between them, and the 10-minute opening title track of Last Days Of Light was an impressive first statement from this band, one that was first backed up by the rest of the debut record, and is now further validated by this new EP.

With only 3 songs (covering a combined 21 minutes), there’s not a whole lot to dissect on this new release, but it makes sense to start at the beginning, if for no other reason than because “The Wanderer” is the standout song here; the folksy acoustic guitar introduction sets the tone impeccably for the subsequent onslaught of full-pelt melodeath tremolo riffing. The guitar lead lines in these faster sections perhaps aren’t the most compelling, but the riffs themselves deliver the precise vibe seasoned fans of this subgenre are going to hope for, and the hooks in the ‘chorus’ are effective.

“The Wanderer” makes for an emphatic introduction to this EP; “Trees As My Gravestone” turns the intensity down just a tad, but still features fast, frenetic verses, and retains the same sorrowful melodicism. The thing that allows As The Sun Falls to stand out amidst the many other imitators in this niche is the strength of their aptitude for stirring melody; each of the three songs here resonates with one’s emotions, and plants roots that remain hooked in one’s head after the track is over. There’s also some enjoyable ebbs and flows within the songs to expand the scope of the record; the cleaner tones during the spoken word midsection of “Trees As My Gravestone” positively remind me of the distinctive atmosphere of Omnium Gatherum’s classic record Beyond. The title track is probably the least notable of the trio of songs here, but it still has a strong mix of warm riffs, guitar leads (including some shimmering tremolos) and synths.

It might not be the best time for a Finnish melodeath EP to come out, what with Insomnium’s Songs Of The Dusk right around the corner primed to overshadow any competition, but genre fans who are eager for a double dose should definitely set their sights towards Where The Silence Reigns, and As The Sun Falls in general.