MUSIC EXTREME
Reviewed by Federico Marongiu

Climatic keyboards open this album with a melancholic sound before getting into "This Paradise Crumbles", a track full of sorrow and with an inherent beauty that makes you fly along with the acoustic guitar arpeggios and the melodies that are created before the heavier part enters with a really extreme vocals and heavy yet melodic riffs (alla old My Dying Bride). Fall of Empyrean is really deppressive and their music takes you to a dark realm . This band puts a lot of passion in their music and you can feel that through all this recording. Here we have a good combination of melancholy and heaviness within the same compositions. The sound is raw but clear and specially the cleaner passages have a really deep sound that enhances the feelings that the band is trying to show. A strongly recomendable release!!

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SHROUD OF WOE
Reviewed by Aruzz

I was waiting for the second demo from American FALL OF EMPYREAN for a very long time. But I must admit honestly that this waiting was worth it. "Anhedonia" is the magnificent doom metal demo. The musicians describe themselves as emotional doom metal band. Now this term becomes even more adequate to their music. It is because of acoustic guitar. On their debut s/t demo the sound of acoustic guitar was also used but in one song only and it didn't make such an impression as it does on "Anhedonia." The sound quality is much better and level of songwriting is much higher than the one from "Fall of Empyrean." Simply, the band becomes better! I encourage everyone to listen to this CD, especially those of you who like doom/death, where distorted electric guitars mix with melancholic acoustic parts. For me, the music is awesome!

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MULTUM IN PARVO (Polish only)
Reviewed by DoobaN

Rating: 7/10

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ETERNAL FROST WEBZINE
Reviewed by Mike Soucy

Here we have the 2nd release from these Arizona USA Doomsters. Melodic, heavy, melancholic with heavy/brutal vocals. The band deliver even more on this album than their previous release. Some very solid Doom Metal here. Despair, suicide, mourning, depression, pain, all the emotions felt in Doom come through on this release. Excellent production makes this more enjoyable at high volumes to annoy the neighbors. Well worth checking into so go out and get your hands on this!

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DEADTIDE.COM
Reviewed by Jason Muxlow

Instrumentally, the guitar team of Cristobal Felix and Justin Burning keep things interesting with their intertwining melodies and smart arrangements, and the interplay between the guitars has improved remarkably from their self-titled debut. Whether this is due to the replacement of their original guitarist with Felix, or just the band's growth as songwriters isn't readily apparent, but the overall arrangements are certainly better and everything is more ably executed. Bassist Dan Sobeck mostly sticks to holding down the bottom with drummer Steven Henson, but he often throws in interesting melodic ideas (2:21 of "Destructive Light of Dawn"), adding yet another layer of misery to Fall of Empyrean's interwoven sound. Kevin Leeds proves smart enough to use the keyboards sparingly, only employing them to help climax a song or provide a point of exclamation for vocalist Richard Medina's very capable death roar. He may find more opportunities to contribute in the future, but for now, he plays it understated and it's a surprisingly mature approach.

"Anhedonia" proves to be an exceptional independent release for Fall of Empyrean, and if the right people hear this, it could also be their last. Three more songs of this quality, a better studio and bit of label support could easily push Fall of Empyrean into the realms of their heroes.

Standout Tracks:
This Paradise Crumbles, Destructive Light of Dawn

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QUINTESSENCE
Reviewed by André

VAMPIRE MAGAZINE
Reviewed by Loek

In conclusion, I think the band needs to (and; is able to, as well!) to make some progress on their songwriting, and the usage of atmosphere-adding instruments, such as the acoustic guitar and the keyboard. However, these points of criticism do not mean that I did not enjoy this release, for it contained enough appreciable moments to make me a happy (or; sad since we're talkin' doom here.) listener. Curious what the future will bring for this relatively young band.

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METAL DOMINATION
Reviewed by Antwnis Maglaras

Rating: 8/10

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STARVOX
Reviewed by Matthew Heilman

The lyrics are also another testament to the band's honesty and integrity. Instead of the usual flowery Gothicism (a dangerous kind of penmanship when executed by misguided authors) or detached cold portrayals of bleakness, these lyrics are extremely straightforward and direct, exploring feelings of restlessness, abandonment, rejection, and even a failed suicide attempt. To be as simple as possible, Fall Of Empyrean's lyrics are perhaps the most realistic lyrics I have ever read in this genre because they read almost as if they are diary entries or snippets of a late night conversation between two suffering friends.

Anhedonia is an incredibly important release for the preservation of the genre. Truly, this is a remarkably good disc. Fans of Doom would be hard pressed to find a band that is as raw as this, yet still provide music that is as unforgettably melodic. It sounds as if the band put forth a great deal of effort in the composition of these tracks. The brief piano intro and the predominantly acoustic instrumental tracks on the disc are good for what they are and serve their structural purpose, but the E.P.'s four full-length tracks are absolutely monumental. Fall Of Empyrean managed to exceed all of my expectations (and as I said, I was waiting for something like this for almost a year) and I believe that they will equally make a deep and long lasting impression on fans of authentically Gothic metal and Doom Metal for years to come.

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IN DARK PURITY
Reviewed by Alexander De La Cruz

Damn, this is some depressive shit. This band makes misery sound so good. Sum up all the pain and suffering you have endured since the day you were born and that's "Anhedonia." Depression is elaborately expressed in this six track disc. I think laughing gas wouldn't do this band any good. Hell, it might have been years since they last smiled. This is doom death metal in its most suicidal form.

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DOOM-METAL.COM
Reviewed by Stephen Burrell

US doom band Fall of Empyrean released their second works, ‘Anhedonia’ (following a 2001 self titled demo), in late 2002. The (mini?) album, lasting just under 37 minutes, is capable of thrusting this very promising young band into high places in the Doom-metal scene.

‘Anhedonia’ is a masterpiece of emotional modern doom, simply put. Some would perhaps swiftly neglect it as a boring, gothic drenched ‘Turn Loose the Swans’ replica, and though this classic record has undeniably influenced the band a great deal, this would be a completely stupid and incorrect stance to take. This CD is in fact very original and unique, and I would even go as far as to say there is not an ounce of goth present. So, make the typical generalisation of this and no doubt countless other bands if you wish, the rest of us will enjoy this album wholeheartedly.

If you are a little bit more open minded and have a fancy for passionate modern Doom-metal, then I strongly suggest you to continue, because this is one hell of a record, and is mightily promising for a band who began only a couple of years before. It starts with a sublime but short piano overture, and ends with a 10+ minute long heavy, emotional, moody death/doom tour de force, my personal favourite ‘Destructive Light of Dawn’. FoE’s music is really overflowing with torturous sorrow and pain, and this is illustrated not just in the woeful music, but in the bitter, melancholy lyrics and grey, hopeless artwork also...it all adds up to create an immensely sorrowful and emotive atmosphere that is devastatingly affective. The tempo is mostly mid-paced (on a doomy scale), and this is a largely accessible record compared to the more unconventional doom projects in existence...‘Anhedonia’ is certainly a metal album, and so will likely appeal to the more open minded but less doom-oriented metalheads out there, as well as the tragic doom-heads of course. As well as the traditional metal band instruments, with the tormented growls and woeful, rich guitars particularly dominant, Fall of Empyrean also introduce the occasional acoustic guitar interludes which always help to add atmosphere with their soft, solemn sound, and keys that are sometimes played solo, but mostly reasonably quiet and layered underneath the guitars - both the acoustics and keys are used minimally, but are effective in further adding to the emotional, despairing atmosphere. And, to generalise, this record could be compared to the works of Anathema (‘Serenades’ in particular), Mourning Beloveth and The Prophecy, though there are clearly more diverse influences such as Opeth present. Despite all this, FoE are certainly not a clone of any band, and with ‘Anhedonia’ they have composed quite an original CD, keeping with particularly favoured traditions of some of their fore-fathers and blending them in to their own sound to make a unique and top quality doom album.

So, if ‘Anhedonia’ does interest you and you’re appreciate of original, atmospheric, perhaps a little mellow and emotional doom, then I urge you to head over to www.fallofempyrean.com and get yourself a copy immediately. And for those who decide against doing this, just watch out for Fall of Empyrean in the future, as they seem to me to be a massively hot prospect within the modern doom scene, and if they continue at this rate, they could at least land themselves a record deal with no time.

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METAL JUDGEMENT
Reviewed by Requiem

Here goes, demo review numero uno for me. Luckily it's not that bad. Taking a stab at the most ostracized brand of metal out there, Fall of Empyrean take their melodic death/doom influences and carefully display them in a successful format. Their song composition throughout this six song demo clearly demonstrates a heartfelt passion for this music and an admirable feel for using somber melodies as their main weapon behind their sound.

Unless a band has a really good singer who can sing, the primary success of a band of this nature is going to be based on the core of the music. Justin Burning is the guitar/keyboard department on this demo, and this is where the music really shines. He's got a real natural ability for compiling layers of guitar on top of minimized atmospheric keyboards. Richard Medina explains his tales of sorrow and suicide in pure guttural death fashion, excelling more in his brutal vocal tone than his lyrics. Granted, I could do no better job most likely, but things here are just a little too straightforward and obvious for a band of this nature. "With the noose clutched in my hands. You can't understand. This blatant travesty. Has become part of me." It's obvious that there is room for improvement for an otherwise solid band. Drummer Steven Henson chugs along at minimal speeds most of the time and has a good feel for doom metal drumming overall. Bassist Dan Sobeck refuses to be a bass player getting lost behind the guitars, creating his interactive basslines which often subliminally enhance the sound. When all the elements are tallied up, it's evident that these guys are just a stone's throw away from being a major force.

Due to the low number of doom bands out there these days, I'd say that Fall of Empyrean certainly deserve a label deal. Despite the few rust spots they need to buff out, their ability to compose multi layered doom songs that sound damn fine shows that we could be in for something tremendous in the future. And for a demo, this is really quite impressive. I've received numerous demos in my day and to get one with this much strength is really a blessing. Get a producer to kick em in the ass a bit and I'm sure they'll churn out gem upon gem. If Garden of Shadows decided to slow down to half speed, you may have a similar sound coming your way. If you cherish the melodic doom bands out there, chances are you'll be more than pleased with this Arizona outfit. Doom or be doomed.

Rating: 4/5 Skulls

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THE METAL GOSPEL
Reviewed by Cheryl

FALL OF EMPYREAN follow up their excellent self-titled debut release with this album of more melancholic melodies and emotionally evocative Doom Metal. This band goes above and beyond the call of duty to deliver some of the finest Doom Metal I have heard in a long time and I have no doubts that after this CD circulates enough the band will be snapped up by some smart label. The well produced disc effectively opens with an intro that reminds me a lot of MY DYING BRIDE style and then glides into the painful and depressive 'This Paradise Crumbles' and from there continues on until you are overwhelmed with feelings of suicide and despair by the closing song. Now, excuse me while I go fill the bathtub with hot water ...

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TARTAREAN DESIRE WEBZINE
Reviewed by Vincent Eldefors

The Arizona based doom metal band Fall Of Empyrean have returned with their second demo and just like their previous effort this one is drenched beautiful but sad melodies. "Anhedonia" consists of six dirges and lasts for close to 37 minutes. As you should know doom metal is not about technical drumming or amazing guitar work. Instead this is all about emotions and the way the music makes you feel. Inspired by bands like Saturnus, Katatonia, My Dying Bride and Anathema these young Americans have been creating a name for themselves with Fall Of Empyrean since the year 2000. Having listened to this demo it is one band in particular that come to mind and it is not any of those mentioned above. Instead I would like to compare this demo to the Norwegian band The Sins Of Thy Beloved's early material. This is musically quite similar to what they did on "Lake Of Sorrow" but less keyboard based and without the female vocals. The songs are not complex at all but the melancholic atmosphere Fall Of Empyrean manage to create is very nice indeed. The tormented growling vocals add further to this and I especially enjoy the acoustic sections, the melodic intro is simply amazing and to me almost the highlight of the entire album. Fall Of Empyrean is for sure one of the biggest new hopes of the American doom metal scene but they need to work a little on the song writing since there is still something missing to hit it off big. Recommended for fans of slow, depressive doom metal.

Rating: 6.5/10

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METAL SIDE WEBZINE
Reviewer unknown

Fall of the Empyrean’s previous demo had good reviews. The new material of Arizona’s band should avoid any critical opinions of fans of melancholic doom/death metal as well. Frankly, I guess that "Anhedonia" will be praised by most of them. I know only few death metal bands from Arizona and most of them chose playing of fast and rather brutal form of this style. Fall of Empyrean’s music has nothing in common with brutality, at least as it is understood by death metal heads: fans of pop who has never heard any death metal material would say that "Anhedonia" is drastically brutal. Emphasizing the lack of brutality, I don’t accuse the band but only describe their music. They play melancholic, depressive doom/death where most important is atmosphere. Fans of such bands like My Dying Bride and Anathema (in both cases from their early incarnations) will appreciate such approach. Although "Anhedonia" is classified by Fall of the Empyrean’s members as demo, it lasts over 30 minutes. Of course, it is not a surprise that the tracks are pretty long. Doom/death metal bands usually need at least few minutes to create a depressive or melancholic mood. Also Fall of the Empyrean goes the same path of ‘epic’ compositions. Fans of doom/death will like them. I think that the biggest value of Fall of the Empyrean (except for obvious musical talents) is the fact that they are still uncompromising band taking into consideration what is going on in this genre. Many doom/death metal bands try to achieve a commercial success. If you play brutal death metal your chances to earn a lot of money are small. When you play doom/death metal, remembering about the success of My Dying Bride or Paradise Lost, these chances don’t seem to be only theoretical. Therefore many doom/death metal musicians soften their sounds, offering us a terrible hybrid that I would call doom/pop. Fall of the Empyrean avoids playing such anti-ambitious music. They work on own style that is melancholic, depressive but also heavy and musically pretty far advanced. They still can be commercially successful band but they can achieve it being simply a good band, not because of any compromises.

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"Self-Titled Demo" reviews:

DEADTIDE.COM
Reviewed by Jason Muxlow

Fall of Empyrean's self-titled demo shows scads of doomy promise for the Arizona septet. Despite a poor production, the songs and atmosphere shine through, and "Fall of Empyrean" easily establishes them as inheritors of the classic and classy sounds that came roaring out of England in the early nineties from the likes of Enchantment, My Dying Bride and Anathema.

Opening track "Behind Vacant Eyes" is a solemn, mid-paced number, driven by the play between Justin Burning's melodies and Adam Russell's chugging rhythms. They take this approach a bit too far on this song, but luckily find the right balance on the remaining tracks. Acoustic guitars and marching snares bring "Cascading Rivers of Black" to life, and are smartly recalled throughout the song, which is supported by the drum and bass work of Dan Sobeck and Steven Henson. Things pick up a bit with the brisk pace of "Solar Journey", but end majestically with "This Sanguine Farewell", a depressing and musically mature number with angelic keyboards surfacing occasionally as the song crawls to its inevitable conclusion.

Though Fall of Empyrean won't win any awards for their first demo, it's certainly promising and overcomes its deficiencies with honest songwriting, well-executed atmosphere and flashes of real emotion. If they learn to capitalize on these ideas, they will become quite a prize for fans of doom.

Standout Tracks:
This Sanguine Farewell

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DOOM-METAL.COM
Reviewed by Neil Laperriere

Few people are aware of Arizona's Fall of Empyrean, let alone give them the attention they deserve. With two solid releases under their belt and a steady-rising fan base, Fall of Empyrean remains a totally original band while retaining a very familiar melodic sound.

The band's self-titled demo completely blew me away. Few releases within the genre have sounded so brutal and intricate at the same time, without sounding mismatched or discordant. Consisting of four songs, it is a very solid, consistent and attention-grabbing recording from start to finish.

It is a solid showcase of darkness meets musicianship. The second track entitled 'Cascading Rivers of Black' definitely stands out, with its sweeping melodies and baroque influenced guitar passages. All very calm sounding, with a nice contrast from vocalist Richard Medina's jagged growls. Beastly yet soothing, like some sort of deathlike caress. Totally lethal, yet completely welcomed.

The track 'Solar Journey' does feel a bit lost in the beginning, though. The demo would feel a bit more tied together if the verse in the song was a bit more solid. All in all it is a great track, although not one that represents the high points of the demo very well.

Finally the release closes with the song entitled 'This Sanguine Farewell', which is the perfect closing track. It is the most melodic and sorrowful track on the release, and by far the most fulfilling. The guitar harmonies in the ending of the song especially stand out, as they compliment the vocals extremely well.

All in all, the listener has a very complete, satisfied feeling once the CD has finished. That's what I favoured in particular about this demo. It includes the daily dose of melodic twists, along with a full serving of ample heaviness. Add the brutal vocals and solid drumming, and it fulfils even the most refined of listeners. This puppy has it all.

Unfortunately the demo is out of print, but all four tracks are still available for download on the Fall of Empyrean homepage (www.fallofempyrean.com). Fans of crushing death/doom and fans of timeless melodies alike should inquire in this release, as it is not one to be passed up!

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UNDERTOW
Reviewed by Bruno Van de Velde

Fall Of Empyrean is a doom metal band from Arizona. They got together at the end of 2000 and this four song demo CD is their debut. First of all I have to say that the packaging looks very nice and the artwork is a good representation of the music on the disk. Fall Of Empyrean is composed like most other doom metal bands with four tracks that are fairly long. The slow dragging music is heavy, melancholic and emotionally loaded. The band paints gray misty musical landscapes and the deep growling vocals add to the general feeling of agony and despair. Here and there they throw in an acoustic interlude and this alternates smoothly with the otherwise heavy slow pounding. I am really charmed with this demo CD. The band sounds good and the balanced production contributes to the positive picture. People who are into early My Dying Bride and other doomsters should check this promising new act out.

Rating: 7.5

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KLOKRADIO
Reviewer unknown

The leaves start falling and it’s getting colder and colder outside. The perfect circumstances for a doom metal album and Fall of Empyrean’s debut MCD is welcomed very much. I’m not sure if we have to call this doom metal or just melancholic metal, fact is that FoE plays rather slow and their songs are depressive. Within the limitations of the genre and despite the length of the songs they succeed in creating a varied albums which gets your grip from the beginning till the end. Not a Summertime album but cool in the winter.

Rating: 8

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METAL JUDGEMENT
Reviewed by Musashi

Music like this is so fucking depressing. Fall of Empyrean call themselves atmospheric doom metal and cite influences such as: Agalloch, My Dying Bride, October Tide, Katatonia, Skepticism, Evoken and Opeth. Basically, every song is a depressing dirge. I want to kill myself after listening to this demo a couple of times. I'll file this demo away for a rainy day.

If there is any bright side to this, it is that Fall of Empyrean are good musicians and write good dark music. There is an epic feel to this demo meaning that everything seems to be on a grand scale. The songs are long and have many different parts to them. The songs are also very melodic and the lyrics are powerful and dark. I find that the more I listen to Fall of Empyrean, the more enjoyable they become. I guess these slow songs take a while to grow on me.

Despite the good music on the CD, I am a little disappointed at the quality of the production. On one hand the production fits the mood of the CD, which is dark and lugubrious, but on the other hand it sounds muddy and dull. The vocals are mixed way too low and overall there is no crispness or richness to the recording.

Nonetheless, a demo of this quality is good enough to highlight the band's strengths. For fans of atmospheric doom metal, FOE should provide some fun listening. Personally, I think FOE is one-dimensional in that they only play slow, depressing songs. I think there is room in this genre for the occasional tempo change or perhaps some notes in the higher registers. Low and slow gets old for me.

Rating: 3/5 Skulls

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TEMPLE OF METAL
Reviewed by Michael Dalakos

If there’s a company out there and wishes to hit the jackpot, better get a contract with this band! I was simply amazed by the professionalism of their work. Fall of Empyrean in this self titled CD delivers a powerful doom metal with depressive atmosphere and brutal vocals.

Trying to compare the band with a big name I’ve ended up equalizing their work with Opeth! No kidding man, the guys represent in this twenty five minutes killer work with brilliant guitar riffs and catchy keyboards. The amazing fact is they manage not to become boring, even though their music is depressive, and to keep the interest levels high.

They are dramatic but not mellow as Theater of Tragedy; on the contrary their tunes are heavy as hell with a good production that helps their music a lot. The artwork is also good enough and this simply summarizes the artistic feeling of this work. The guys prove their quality in every single step of this CD.

This is really one of the sweetest surprises I’ve ever received from a band while having this webzine, and admitting the fact that I’m not the biggest fan of this kind of music you can easily understand how impressive work this one is. Superb in every way.

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TARTAREAN DESIRE WEBZINE
Reviewed by Vincent Eldefors

Fall Of Empyrean is one of many new doom metal bands who have formed in the US during the last five or ten years. The band originally came together in 2000 in Arizona and the band members have a past in various other local metal bands. Taking the earlier sound of European groundbreakers like Anathema and My Dying Bride and mixing this with some rather guttural growling they have created a rather generic but still well-played brand of doom metal. This is kind of a demo recording which means that the sound quality isn't perfect but they have still managed to record a pretty nice sounding mini album on their own. Accompanied by gloomy and heavy rhytms the vocalist Richard Medina (who by the way is a big fan of Chopin!) spreads an atmosphere of cruel melancholy throughout these 25 minutes of epic doom metal where we are taken on a journey to the darkest corners of the human soul. Fall Of Empyrean have conceived a pretty solid first release but I think their music could need some sort of contrast to the dark vocals and soaring guitars. The alternative is to stick to their own current sound but they need something to take them to the next level since the competition is very tough today. "Solar Journey" is a sad yet wonderful song that shows all the good qualities that this band is in possession of and I also like the epic symphonic feeling of the opening track. A very decent first effort.

Rating: 6/10

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THE METAL GOSPEL
Reviewed by Cheryl

You know, in these days you just don’t get stuff like this anymore... it’s a damn shame too. The best way for me to judge a Doom band and how good they are is: when I hear the songs how do they make me feel? Well, I can tell you, writing this review WHILE listening to the CD was not possible because writing and slitting wrists at the same time is damn hard and blood all over paper is such a mess. Feeling depression and misery is most of the times necessary in the context of Doom Metal for me therefore THIS is GREAT, and very successful Doom. Everything about these four tracks is perfect in my eyes: sharp production, emotionally evocative well written lyrics, thick, melodic guitar riffs / tones and clearly understood Death vocals. What a fucking BRILLIANT band. If you like Doom Metal then my order for you is: buy and preferrably DIE.

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NOCTURNAL BATTLE OF CHARIOTS
Reviewed by Aruzz

There is not too much doom metal in the US, a country famous for the slaughter kind of thing. Definitely, Dark Symphonies maintains the glory of this wonderful style, releasing such bands as November Doom, Autumn Tears, Long Winter's Stare and Rain Fell Within. However, the American underground is active, and Fall of Empyrean might serve as evidence here. They play extreme, crushing funeral doom metal. Five long pieces similar to the style of old masters like Winter, Thergothon and even Anathema (from demos and "Serenades" period) make up the debut album of the American doomsters. The band seem to be absolutely aware of the effort they have to put into their own development in order to sound like doom "forefathers", and at the same time add a touch of their own style, hinted with the influences of contemporary doom (and not only doom) trends. Each piece of this album is endowed with some kind of special immensity, the guitars sound blurry in a special way which gives style to the whole , and the production seems deliberately rough. The band itself advertises itself as playing doom filled with most grieving despair ideal for gloomy souls. It's good to know that there is somebody creating such music in such conscious way, respecting all the most crucial forms constituting the style. Now you know what it's all about, don't you? Just pure doom metal. No fan of the style shall be disappointed with this album, so either get it now or wait a few months until they release a LP. I'm setting my sights on it, too.

Rating: 7.5/10

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CHAOTIC CRITIQUES
Reviewed by Tate Bengtson

Funeral doom laden with ponderous rhythms, guitars wrought with thin and edgy melodies drawn to painfully distended lengths, and earthy death growls harking to My Dying Bride or Paradise Lost, in the early years of both bands. In fact, the latter two groups, among the pioneers of the British doom sound, are adequate reference points for Fall of Empyrean's four-song CD. The band bases its sound around drawn-out, angular guitar harmonies and dreary growls, which combine to form an agonizing basis for the bleary songwriting. While the vocalist could stand to make use of a wider range of snarls and screams to fully complement the range of dark emotions conveyed by the instruments, he does have a knack for enunciating the lyrics using a few different techniques, and deploys these techniques parallel with the mood, texture, and rhythm of the other instruments. "Cascading Rivers of Black" is one of more interesting tracks on the album, introduced with the tender picking of a guitar and a military march drum pattern, which then flows into the grim guitars and vile vocals that typify the band's sonic architecture. While Fall of Empyrean stills needs a bit of work at creating a more dynamic album - an admittedly difficult task in the death/doom genre, where repeated motifs are so necessary to build and maintain that mood of utter despondency - additional innovation with the vocals and keyboards, or perhaps additional texture from the guitars, would lend the band's music additional shades of gray not yet explored. At the same time, Fall of Empyrean's ability to convey moods of depression and dejection is very good, and when it comes right down to it, that's what this genre is all about.

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TENEBROUS KINGDOM
Reviewed by Jason

From the darkened, depressing bowels of Arizona hails Fall of Empyrean, a quintet with the obsession to create the music of moods, emotions, and atmosphere. To simply slap the label of "doom metal" on them is a great disservice; to simply say they're derivative of this band or that band is practically insulting; and to ignore them is, in my mind, completely unimaginable. Fall of Empyrean themselves name their influences: Katatonia, Anathema, My Dying Bride, Agalloch, etc. ... and after hearing this demo, I can understand how the aforementioned bands are their influences. But I don't hear any of the aforementioned bands in their music -- their sound is totally Fall of Empyrean, in my book.

Their origin dating back to late 2000, Fall of Empyrean aren't exactly veterans to the metal realm -- but most of the members were previously involved in bands and their experience shows. The four songs, each a relatively lengthy composition (the shortest is 5:33 long; the demo, though, is only twenty-five minutes), are excellently written and executed. All four songs are slow-paced and melancholic, each one filled with acute melodic strains while remaining monstrously heavy, steadily lumbering along the path of the funereal. The production, though a bit thin (and a bit muddy when it comes to the drums), lends a surprisingly lucid and quite expansive sound to the demo, the kind usually found on ambient albums -- which require a lot of "space" to properly capture their moods and atmospheres --, and it's especially prominent when all the instruments are winding round one another.

Perhaps the only drawback to this demo is vocalist Richard Medina's monotonous approach: a low, guttural growl/roar that, while complementing the music, also detracts from the pleasure of repeated listening experiences. This is another one of those minor things, in reality, that can be overlooked as his vocals do work well within the music as a whole -- and his lack of variation on Fall of Empyrean does not sour my overall opinion. I have the feeling that Richard is probably already bettering his approach. Also, other people may claim there's little variation between each song, but I believe that that's not the point. While the songs may sound similar to one another, it is the overall mood that changes. It's evident in the guitars: one moment they are depressive and massive, a dense wall of reverberating notes that echo sorrow; in the next, Justin Burning and Adam Russell weave lilting, nearly uplifting melodies that pierce through the gloom ... and then sink down once more into dark obsucrity. There are even a few leads throughout the demo, all of which are solid and accentuate the atmospheres/moods in their own way.

Really, it's something that must be heard ... these words of mine do the music no justice. I truly feel the need to praise the work on here, moreso than I already have, but it's difficult to describe the feelings the music generates. In any case, there is a copious amount of promise in this band, and fans of old-school doom are bound to enjoy Fall of Empyrean's excellent brand of new doom. Visit http://www.fallofempyrean.com/ and order this self-titled demo ... before it's too late.

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ETERNAL FROST WEBZINE
Reviewed by Mike Soucy

Fall of Empyrean hail from the U.S., Arizona of all places for Doom Metal to spew forth from (well, it could have been Kansas! ;-) )!

This demo comprises 4 songs with gutteral male vocals, plodding drumming, heavy riffs and lead work accompanied by a backdrop of keyboards to add atmosphere. Think of them as similar to early My Dying Bride, early Anathema somewhat and some Gardens of Shadow vocal-wise. Opening track Behind Vacant Eyes starts things off nice and heavy.

Heavy melody from the guitar and bass lines with the layered keys adds a nice touch to the second track Cascading Rivers of Black along with a nice acoustic intro to it.

The third track Solar Journey has a nice ambient tone on the keys that flows well when used. The final track is This Sanguine Farewell and this one is probably the most depressive sounding of the four songs. A tad slower than the rest (none are really fast paced, mainly slow to mid tempo).

Production isn't too bad for a demo but I would like to see the drums (bass especially) mic'd up a bit more in the mix. Nothing is really overpowering anything else on this release.

Crushing flow from start to finish. Gutteral vocals throughout the entire album for those looking for Doom metal with these vocals only. Overall a heavy depressive feeling is brought through all the songs.Very nice! Stop by their site and support these guys. They are a band to keep an eye on! They also have a group at Yahoo if you are interested in chatting with some/all of the members of the band.

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SONIC DEATH
Reviewed by David Griffiths

Many of the newer underground bands in America seem to be centralising their focus on Europe and the influences coming from the atmospheric, melodic death and doom scenes that frequent the scene round these parts. Lilitu, Shadows Fall, Daylight Dies, God Forbid are just some of the bands that are assimilating European brands of metal into their own styles. Add Fall Of Empyrean to the list.

What F.O.E. play is a melodic brand of doomdeath that harks back to the early days of Brit faves Anathema, My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost and injects it with a heftier dose of melody that could probably be culled from the things Opeth and Katatonia have done. Lead track 'Behind Vacant Eyes' shows this in glorious style with a set of memorable melodic riffs counterbalanced with dragging powerchords and percussion, all finely layered with a subtle keyboard wash. At the forefront of this are a set of deep growls that are straight out of the old school, Floridian Death Metal book. Being a first release there is always going to be room for improvement and with this demo I guess the main complaint is the one-dimensional approach of the vocals, the extremely guttural approach works OK but needs some kind of contrast or even accompaniment. Whilst the clean/growl approach is entirely familiar and beginning to sound to contrived it does add some depth to the music. Vocally that depth is slightly lacking here, and the need of a solid, strong sound is fairly evident as well.

Despite the couple of flaws it's a good first release, epic, melodic and depressive in equal measures. Another American band to watch out for.

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SATAN STOLE MY TEDDYBEAR
Reviewed by John Chedsey

Hailing from the depressing climes of Peoria, Arizona, Fall of Empyrean is a doom metal act derived straight from the catacombs of early My Dying Bride and Anathema. This four song CD, essentially a demo for the band, showcases their style in four lengthy tracks. All four of these songs are brooding, slow paced and quite similar to one another. Vocalist Richard Medina offers one low gutteral approach, while the guitars and occasional keyboard passages are semi-melodic and drawn out. The band has a tendency to stick to one songwriting approach throughout the CD, which tends to disallow discerning major differences between any of the four songs. While the band is effective in capturing the old doom metal feel of yesteryear, it would be nice to hear a little variation between the songs. The vocals tend to stick in the same gear throughout and if Medina could alter his approach even slightly, it would help elevate the music as a whole. On the plus side, guitarists Adam Russell and Justin Burning weave some nice, slow melodic patterns, with more than a few solid leads to give the songs some identity.

For a demo, the production is slightly subdued but still quite well done. The band sounds as though they're still in formative stages but there is more than enough promise to warrant future listens to future projects. Fans of old school doom are encouraged to get ahold of the band and hear that Arizona doesn't just offer golf courses for snowbirds and twangy fake country music.

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