Metal Reviews

You're welcome to comment on:


Click here to see the review.

This review says basically sums up my feelings on the album exactly. Not their best, but still an amazing album and definitely in my top 5 for the year. Mathias really does make such a positive difference for Falconer.

When I first heard that Mathias Blad was leaving Falconer after their second album, I was very dissapointed. When "Sceptre of Deception" came out, I was pleasantly surprised and it seemed Falconer got better. But when the fourth album came out, they seemed to have lost their way with their folk/medieval style. Then when I heard Mathias Blad was returning, my expectations were very high. Unfortunatelly for me, this album falls a bit short. While better than the last Falconer album, it is my least favorite compared to the first two. However, it is still a very good record. My only gripes are that the vocals are very subdued and played safe (I would have liked to have heard more range). There is also a fair mix of slower ballads with some upbeat tempo styled songs, but their is a certain punch and crunch that is still missing musically. I look forward to the next one.

This album is facking amazing.

I am so sick of hearing about how bad grime vs grandeur is. I love falconer and they are one of my favorite bands and I love all of them albums, especially grime vs. grandeur. Grime vs Grandeur is really catchy and after I heard Emotional Skies I couldnt stop humming it in my head. I dont understand what the big gripe with this record is? And maybe its just me but I really dont hear a lot of difference in the two vocalist, I think they both sound great and I wouldnt have cared if either one was the vocalist.

If you don't hear a difference in the two vocalists then you must have a different way of listening to music than me, which is going to make explaining the problems with GvG (which was a decent album, but no more than that) pretty difficult.

I think my problem with Grime Vs Grandeur is the evident lack of catchiness. Sure, some tunes are good, and Emotional Skies is pure catchiness, but it can in now way hold a candle to the earlier albums. It actually amazed me how boring some of the songs were, especially when considering how The Sceptre Of Deception was clearly a solid album. I also feel that they on many songs dropped their medieval feel and melodies, which was probably what many liked about Falconer. But it's good to have them back, and I think they're back on track again with Northwind.

Edit: I'm actually listening to "Power" from GvsG right now, and I think it pretty much represent what's wrong with this album. It's slow, plodding along, not really moving anywhere, and the lyrics and catchiness are clearly subpar for a band of their potential. Kristoffer also throws in some horrible falsetto screams along the way. It feels completely uninspired to me, and quite unoriginal.

Not to say that I hate the album, as I said, some tracks are good. Emotional Skies and The Assailant are among the top. But it's just average in my book. No amazing songs which the debut had so many of, like Upon The Grave Of Guilt, Wings Of Serenity and Mindtraveller.

Did Andy LaRocque produce this one?

Yes.