Band:	Cinders Fall
Album:	The Reckoning
Style:	Gothenburg metal
Release date:	October 31, 2008
A review by:	Thryce

01. Dead Zone
02. The Sorrow
03. Beyond Existence
04. I Inside
05. The Reckoning

Lately I have been under the impression that melodic death metal is getting oversimplified, especially by the overhyped bands with a nice record deal in their back pocket. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with being catchy and appealing, being catchy for the sake of being catchy, however, is yet something I have a big problem with as I believe in short term it goes hand in hand with simplification and unoriginality...
Luckily there are still certain bands out there like Cinders Fall too who, despite being a pretty young band nonetheless, succeed with flying colors to wrap the patrimony of the classic Gothenburg-based founders of the genre into a modern and fresh covering. And maybe their formula isn't exactly breaking new ground either, I still find this kind of melodic death metal play at least ten times more appealing and pleasurable than those afore-alluded-to bands.

Hailing from the United Kingdom, this dynamic six-piece band just released their second EP, but already has the potential to make it big. On this five-tracker the listener gets everything one would expect from a Gothenburg-school first-class pupil: typically force to slightly mid-paced Melodeath metal with enthralling melodies... Yet the sound is flavored with a welcome portion of robust aggression, reminding of the characteristic power found in most Dark Tranquillity releases. Absolute highlights of this release are the excellent twin guitar work, the ceaseless harsh vocals and the surprisingly rock solid songwriting. These guys really know their stuff!

And they weren't exactly going to make it a secret that they have listened very closely to a lot of Swedish bands either. Just have a listen to the main riff of "I Inside" and a strong In Flames-feeling overwhelms you immediately. And also the opening of this EP's title-track should indeed ring a bell, as the archetypical In Flames sound is unmistakably nestled in the sweet shadow of this song. But you know what? This Gothenburg-worship shouldn't bother you at all; after all it's good Gothenburg-worship, and thanks to Scott Atkins they can count on a very strong production of that Gothenburg-worship too. Indeed, Cinders Fall may be borrowing from many, they still manage to sound fresh and new - a gift not granted to everyone.

So don't worry, there are still bands out there who know how to bring good Gothenburg-inspired melodic death metal. The guys from Cinders Fall have clearly found their right shape, so now we can expectantly look forward to a full-length with more of the same. But until then this "The Reckoning" EP stays required matter for all Gothenburg metal fans among you, especially the In Flames and Dark Tranquillity groupies.