By Ola Mazzuca
Rich colours, Halloween and the crumbling of leaves encapsulate the month of October, which is ever so often inspiration for heavy metal music and album concepts. For we have October Rust, the definitive goth record from Type O Negative, Helloween, and the Opeth epic “Forest of October”.
These may be pretty basic examples, but let’s face it; October is a month of dark, melancholic qualities. The sun begins to set earlier, leaves begin to writher and though there is no snow, cold fills the air.
Finland’s October Falls embody many traits of the month that inspired their name, which shine on their fourth full-length release of progressive ambience hinted with slight folk elements.
Totaling only three tracks in length, from five to twenty minutes each, A Collapse of Faith begins and ends with the same pattern of a soft to aggressive interval that carries gracefully throughout with a consistent tempo, varied guitar work and additives of acoustic piano notes that compliment harsh tones. The music reflects the album title, as a feel of struggle and desolation are eminent in the minor chords within every track.
October Falls don’t try too hard to accomplish a gloomy sound that has become cliché amongst many bands, where intention for ambience results in absent of passion that’s straight from the guttural. Instead, they have chosen their elements carefully, organizing their music in an unimpeded manner like a leaf falling to the ground.
(Debemur Morti)
