Band:	Falconer
Album:	Falconer
Style:	Folk metal, Power metal
Release date:	2001
Guest review by:	Bas

Disc I
01. Upon The Grave Of Guilt
02. Heresy In Disguise
03. Wings Of Serenity
04. A Quest For The Crown
05. Mindtraveller
06. Entering Eternity
07. Royal Galley
08. Substitutional World
09. Lord Of The Blacksmiths
10. The Past Still Lives On
11. Per Tyrssons Döttrar i Vänge [bonus]

Disc II [2015 re-issue]
01. Royal Galley [Acoustic version]
02. Wings Of Serenity [Acoustic version]
03. Mindtraveller [Acoustic version]
04. Substitutional World [1999 demo version]
05. Lord Of The Blacksmiths [1999 demo version]
06. Mindtraveller [1999 demo version]
07. Entering Eternity [1999 demo version]

I remember when I first heard this album. I had just gotten loads of new music on my PC, mainly power metal, and Falconer - Falconer was part of it. My expectations were up in the air, seen how highly I already though of the second Facloner album, Chapters From A Vale Forlorn (check my review here). I listened to it expecting some amazing guitar work and stark theatrical vocals. Fast, yet varied, drumming and catchy texts with deep meanings. A soundscape which would take me back a few hundred years ago, to the time when knights fought for honour and princesses, when the church and the kings ruled with an iron fist, when the farmers were fored to labor for their loders, when nature was still green and the sky still a clear blue. I expected an album with both great talent and great epicness. High expectations thus; They were fulfilled.

Although not as intricate as on Chapters... the guitar always manages to catch my attention on this album with great melody lines and catchy riffing. The vocals are wonderfully medieval and theatrical, giving you the impression of a bard, travelling the land with just his voice and his music. The lyrics have medieval settings but can be seen as metaphors applicable to the modern day. The slight 'old english' influences giving the lyrics and vocals a bit more depth. The drumming, too, isn't quite as rich in variation as on the second album, but that's ok, it still has a lot of variation for power metal and it's very good.

Listening to this album gives you an amazing feeling. Like as if the portals to dreamworlds are opened to you by just closing your eyes and letting yourself drift away in this music. On the faster songs (especially Royal Gallery springs to mind) it is almost like a see of musical chaos spreads around you, with fast drumming and great riffs, while Mathias' great voice is like a holdfast, keeping you from drowning. Other songs like Quest For The Crown with their folkish elements and influences almost make you feel like a noble knight in the kings service.

One aspect I always find great about this album, and which gives a lot of extra depth to the album, is that the music sometimes turns from a happy but (more or less) heavy riff-fest to a very quiet part with slow and melodic guitar or keyboard and a beautiful part by the vocalist, only to return to the riffing again moments later. Although it's a very simple ingredient it adds a lot to the overall album for me. Especially notable is the part at 4:13 in Substitutional World.

The lyrics are quite close to great. The text contains a lot of old-english elements and has a medieval setting, while the content is very metaphorical ("The higher your lucky star rises, the deeper you will fall. Who are you to impersonate god? Who are you to know it all?").

At the end of the day one thing is obvious. This album isn't as complicated as Chapters From A Vale Forlorn, nor does it have as many folk elements. But in my personal opinion it's a lot more epic and the riffs are better. The atmosphere is better and the vocal lines are catchier. All in all I even prefer this album over Chapters! Great debut-album by a great band.