Fall of Serenity - Bloodred Salvation   

Metal outweighs the metalcore as the good outweighs the bad

Since forming in 1998 out of the ashes of Contrition, German melodic death metallers Fall of Serenity grew out of the rapidly expanding hardcore and metalcore scene originally. Their first release was an EP with countrymen Heaven Shall Burn before they unleashed three long players in the form of 2000’s Smoldering Doom, 2001’s Grey Man’s Requiem and 2004’s Royal Killing. They’ve undergone the almost obligatory line-up changes along the way, but vocalist Renè Betzold, guitarists Eddy Langner and Alexander Fischer, bassist John Gahlert and drummer Lutz Einenkel have returned with their fourth full length album titled Bloodred Salvation that is chock full of melodic death metal with slight smatterings of their roots showing through at times.

What to expect from the slow building, classical piano laced intro of Blood Starts Running is anyone’s guess, but before this sub two minute opener is done, the ugly double kick backed wall of distortion is a sure sign of things to come. The segue into Out of the Clouds is marked by the all out death metal blasting beginning that soon twists into a riff infested moshathon topped off by Betzold’s gruff death growl. The frantic death metal pace continues with metalcore sounding of A Piece of You and Dead Eyes before things take on a quieter turn via the soft and melodic instrumental interlude Bloodred Salvation which comes as quite a surprise midway through the album. It certainly provides some breathing space but it would have been better served as the album’s finale.

The soothing calm is destroyed by the instant arrival of Raise Your Remorse which begins with a blasting barrage and style not unlike that of Out of the Clouds. The death metal riffs of As I Watch leave no uncertainty as to it’s intentions and mark it as one of the more memorable tracks on the album before the double kick driven assault of melodic death metal titled Overflowing Senses eclipses it and everything else via a strong Dark Tranquillity like presence and easily stands out as the album’s finest moment. Swallowed Lies, although relatively catchy and brutal, doesn’t quite match it with the album’s fine finish, Twin Curse, which delivers an excellent mix of blasting extreme metal with more traditional melodic death metal.

There’s possibly a little more metalcore to Bloodred Salvation than meets the eye initially. But upon giving the album several spins during the review process, it’s clear that there’s more metal than core to this German quintet. Bloodred Salvation won’t set any new records or break new ground, but there’s ample here to get the heads banging of most metalheads whilst appealing to metalcore fans as well.

(LifeForce Records/Stomp Distribution)

Added: June 22nd 2006
Reviewer: Simon Milburn
Score:
Related Link: Official Website
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