Volvere
[Rage Of Achilles]

Fall of the Leafe is one band that I had heard of long before I actually heard them. I'm still not sure where or when… a friend's compilation perhaps, or an online discussion. But whatever the case may be, I found myself with an opinion of what Fall of the Leafe would sound like before I even popped "Volvere" in the player. And it only took a few moments to inform me that my opinion had been wrong. For some reason, I was expecting black metal of some sort, sparse and melodic, but not overly orchestrated. Instead, "Volvere" is hard-edged, ethereal rock metal. Or something like that. This is Fall of the Leafe's fifth release, and the only one I have heard, so maybe their earlier material would better fit my opinion. But nonetheless, "Volvere" is quite good. It is a little difficult to describe, and surprisingly unique, but I believe it to be the sort of metal album that is enjoyed by fans across the boundaries of labels and genres.

"Volvere" is… it is somewhat similar to the music of Amorphis, as a form of melodic hard rock/heavy metal with roots in death or black metal. It is not as folk-influenced as Amorphis, but is similarly dreamy, ethereal, and reminiscent of a quiet pond in Scandinavia. In fact, Fall of the Leafe hail from Finland, the same country that Amorphis calls home. There is also a certain suicide rock attitude in the music, drawing comparisons with Sentenced or even a little bit of HIM. But again, Fall of the Leafe doesn't truly sound like any of these bands. They have a surprisingly original sound, and the typical comparisons with other similar-sounding bands just don't work here.

Lead singer Tuomas Tuominen remains almost solely in the realm of mid-range clean vocals. He does border on harsh once or twice, making me think back to the impression of Fall of the Leafe that I once had. Tuominen also sounds like Eddie Vedder on occasion… but not in a bad way. The rest of the band is impressive; guitarists Jussi Hänninen and Kaj Gustafsson create a veritable soundscape of guitar ambiances, high-end melodies, and even the occasional crunch. Hänninen plays good bass guitar as well, but he seems to shine most as a rhythm guitarist. Drummer Matias Aaltonen is never spectacular, but always seems to play the right thing at the right time. And Petri Hannuniemi covers most of the keyboard aspect of Fall of the Leafe (did I mention that Hänninen also plays some keyboards on this album?). These keys are predominantly ambient, with an emphasis on electronic sounds.

Together, these five men craft some of the most engaging and intriguing hard rock I've ever heard. It's not the sort of music I could listen to every day of the week, but it is certainly enjoyable every time I pop it into my PC or car stereo. And now I want to go back and track down some earlier Fall of the Leafe material, to see if my original opinions on the band were as unfounded as they seem now. "Volvere" is another great Rage of Achilles release… methinks some further research into other bands on this label is in order.