Faal has gone through a few line-up changes since their last full length The Clouds Are Burning came out back in 2012, but that hasn’t slowed them down. Though they’ve only released one song as part of a split with Eye of Solitude prior to this year’s Desolate Grief, one listen is all it will take to confirm that the group is still at the top of their game. For the uninitiated, Faal’s material is at the crossroads of melodic doom/death and funeral doom, exploring elements of hopelessness and despair through soaring atmospherics and sprawling songwriting. Desolate Grief won’t be for everyone, but anyone that is drawn to plodding doom that is as dark as it gets will find a lot to appreciate with this album.
A short two-minute intro kicks things off with a somber melody, but it doesn’t take long for Faal to up the heaviness of their material and showcase their ability to deliver crushingly dense riffing alongside sweeping melodies. Compared to their previous two albums, one of the biggest differences on Desolate Grief are the production values which are fuller than before and allow the climaxes to reach greater heights. The instrumentation wasn’t lacking in heaviness before but here you can feel each drum hit right in your chest and the weight of the guitar and bass work together to create an atmosphere that is as desolate and overwhelming as it gets. Faal continues to incorporate a lot of melodies that recall a number of death/doom bands, but the pacing is often stretched out to the point that the material has more in common with funeral doom and this ensures that the songs demand your patience and attention. If you’re the type of listener that has always been drawn to these genres that won’t be a problem though, as even when the tracks push towards the ten and twelve-minute marks it never feels like time is being wasted and there is enough variation between the crushing and mellow sections to hold your attention.
The Clouds Are Burning marked the debut of vocalist William, who has now been with the band for close to nine years. His deep growls continue to be a natural fit for the sound Faal is going for, as they spread outwards and each word hovers over the recording with a considerable amount of intensity. It’s always impressive when a vocalist can hold his growls for extended periods of time to the point that they build to climaxes of their own alongside the guitar leads, and that’s exactly what the band has to offer here. But even though the vocal work is so prominent it never overpowers the rest of the recording, adding to the overall heaviness without wiping out the subtle nuances of the melodic aspects.
Although Faal hasn’t drastically deviated from the depressing atmosphere and mix of melodic and heavy instrumentation they offered early on, this is their most refined and polished effort to date. With a recording that emphasizes both the somber atmosphere and heavy hitting doom alongside some of the best hooks yet, this is an album one can get truly lost in. If funeral doom or melodic death/doom are a style that appeals to your palette, Faal’s latest is worth spending some quality time with. Desolate Grief is out now from Ván Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to share it with others to help us grow. You can also like and follow us on the social media of your choice with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and support us on Patreon.