ALBUM:FALCONER
ARTIST:FALCONER
YEAR OF RELEASE:2001
RATING:*****

As of the time I write this, Falconer's debut album stands as album of the year. And based on a list of upcoming releases, I don't see a lot that could change my opinion. Their music is a breath of fresh air in the power metal genre, with heavy, driving(at times, thrashy) guitars, excellent drum work, pounding bass lines, and what stands out the most, *awesome* vocals. The singer, Mathias Blad has a deep, powerful, yet clean voice, and sounds like nobody else in the metal genre(though he does sound at times like Marty Robbins, and at times like the vocalist for Cream). Part of the reason for this is that he wasn't originally planning on being a metal singer, he was found singing for a theatrical production, which explains his powerful and forceful style. Musically, there are several different styles on the disc. There are some blazingly fast numbers, some more mid-tempo pieces, a couple of folky tracks(one of them being an actual Swedish folk song), a slower, pounding tune, and a few others. As for highlights of the disc, the whole album really is a highlight, but if forced to pick favorites, I'd probably go with "Substitutional World", "Upon the Grave of Guilt", and "The Past Still Lives On". Also of note, the guitarist and drummer were former members of the folky black metal band Mithotyn, though you'd be hard pressed to tell on this release.

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