Vallenfyre - A Fragile King review
| Band: | Vallenfyre |
| Album: | A Fragile King |
| Style: | Death metal |
| Release date: | October 31, 2011 |
| A review by: | Baz Anderson |
01. All Will Suffer
02. Desecration
03. Ravenous Whore
04. Cathedrals Of Dread
05. As The World Collapses
06. A Thousand Martyrs
07. Seeds
08. Humanity Wept
09. My Black Siberia
10. The Divine Have Fled
11. The Grim Irony
12. Majesty Dethroned [limited edition bonus]
There have been a spate of so-called "super groups" emerging from the woodwork recently, flaunting their pasts as a means of attracting attention. Vallenfyre are a brand new British force comprised of people from other bands, but these connections hold no significance or influence over the music of Vallenfyre, or "strong fire" as is in old English.
Vallenfyre is a grimey and powerful embodiment of grief. The bass guitar reigns in this monumentally crushing, Celtic Frost-esque accumulation of doomy death metal. Inspired musically by the earliest forms of extreme metal and conceptually by the loss of Gregor Mackintosh's father, Vallenfyre is the dark culmination of a bereaving man's emotions.
Stretching from doom to death metal, A Fragile King doesn't allow itself to become too bogged down or over-indulgent. This is a wonderfully morbid combination of soul shattering earthly tones, top quality vintage-style death metal, and emotion. From the darkest moment of "Seeds" to the blood-pumping march of songs like "Ravenous Whore" and "Humanity Wept" with Gregor's grim death growls, A Fragile King is both a deeply touching journey and a monster of a death metal album.
Vallenfyre may be a somber and depressing outlet to one of life's harshest sorrows, but this embodiment of distress is bound to be one of the year's most impressive and harrowing works. A Fragile King is as powerful as they come, both compellingly and musically.
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Doom / Death metal
United Kingdom
Length: 41:48
Century Media
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 9 |
| Production: | 10 |
Comments
Comments: 30
Visited by: 524 users
| Rulatore Posts: 1108  |
Holy crap, just heard some samples, seems awesome  and the review makes me want it more
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| psykometal A staff guy... Elite Posts: 6101  |
I never really got into Paradise Lost or My Dying Bride because I'm not really into the doom genre much but I've been a fan of Adrian Erlandsson for a long time which is why I checked that song out and I am glad I did because the song was pretty damn good and I was interested in this album but wasn't sure if I wanted to get it or not since I don't usually care for the doom genre but this review definitely makes me want to give this release a full on chance so I am going to get this asap and give it a few spins...
---- ~Zep, Database and Forum Moderation~ 
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13254  |
Written by psykometal on 23.10.2011 at 21:28 There was a reason why I didn't mention those bands in my review. I don't care for them either, but either way they have no bearing on this album at all - completely different band.
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
My Dying Bride have no bearing on this album, indeed. But Paradise Lost actually does. Namely the very early Paradise Lost sound of their demo days which had loads of death metal in it and Gregor's guitar sound is quite similar to his sound of those days. But of course Vallenfyre is totally not a doom band. It pure old school revivalist death metal with some doomy parts just like what death metal was back in the day and what loads of old school revivalist death metal have been playing before Vallenfyre came to be.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| @gent_-_orange Posts: 905  |
Desecration was good and I will be getting this for sure, Nice review.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374  |
Marcel is right, there's a lot of old Paradise Lost stuff going on here. Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 23.10.2011 at 23:46 Which is why I don't understand how someone gives this album a 9 for originality... I mean... Seriously? Good album and all that jazz, greatly executed and all.. So the other ratings I can agree with but originality is no way more than a 6 unless you've never heard old school death metal in your life.  /end of my rant I want this album, Old-Paradise Lost-like death metal is delicious.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Skøllgrim Northern Posts: 389  |
I still feel some newschool paradise lost in there as well. From what I've heard so far, this sounds real good, and I'm not usually all that into death metal either. Looking forward to hearing it all. Kudos to Greg Mackintosh in dealing with the pain and making something creative out of it all.
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| Slayer666 Posts: 2466  |
If Greg can growl, we doesn't he handle the growls on Paradise Lost's live shows, instead of Nick's pretty awkward attempts at doing so? Not growling on "Gothic" kills the song. But enough of my butt-hurt bitching, I'm eager to hear this one too.
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| !J.O.O.E.! Account deleted |
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| Merchant of Doom Posts: 702  |
Can't hear any doom in this... but I only managed to find two songs... what can I say? Polished production, boring mainstream sound... they obviously run out of beer money...
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by [user id=4365] on 25.10.2011 at 12:02 Entombed called, they want their guitar tone and riffs back that Bloodbath took. Btw: The sound of this album is really similar if not the same as Paradise Lost's demos and debut album so I wouldn't comment about bands like Bloodbath at all 
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| !J.O.O.E.! Account deleted |
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted Written by X-Ray Rod on 25.10.2011 at 16:47 Except the tone sounds nothing like Paradise Lost's first album. PL's is much deeper and cleaner and has less reverb and is pretty bog standard, sounds like loads of other bands. You're making that connection because of that band members, on a pure sound basis this is a totally early Bloodbath, that struck me within the first couple of seconds. Same with Entombed to a lesser extent, a much less distinctive sound.
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| !J.O.O.E.! Account deleted |
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by [user id=4365] on 25.10.2011 at 17:33 That's why I said "doomy parts" It is a decent album, but that's it. Think it will end up at an 8 for me. But totally not original. Like Mr. Doctor said originality a 6 at most. I think i would settle for a 5 in that respect. But for a genre such as Vallenfyre operates in originality is nicht im/am (hell never know which one hahaha) frage. And to me this smells like a cash grab. why start an old school death metal band now (consisting of band members from quite well known bands) when old school death metal is blossoming like never before.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306  |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 25.10.2011 at 17:46 What doesn't smell like a cashgrab to you Marcel? At the very least he has an excuse. He wanted to write music after the passing of his father.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 25.10.2011 at 21:33 Call me a totally cynical old fuck, but I think he just uses as an excuse to generate even more  The times I have seen thigs like that happen in the music world...
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 25.10.2011 at 21:36 You're a totally cynical old fuck. But ya, there is a chance you're right. I mean nobody really knows except for him, if he sat down and thought...I can make money off of this. I can use my father's death as an inspiration story and my own name to sell some additional copies. Then again, he could be genuinely doing what he wants to as a result of a tragic loss. Who knows.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Removed the spam.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Merchant of Doom Posts: 702 |
His motives are probably good, but it's still pretty lame stuff... some people get better with age... he's getting too polished...  Still, I'd like to make an album like that when I'm 80...
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by Merchant of Doom on 26.10.2011 at 00:23 Well this Vallenfyre is superior to anything he did with Paradise Lost after Draconian Times. And like someone said, why the hell dooesn't Greg due the growl vocals live instead of Nick trying his lame versions?
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Merchant of Doom Posts: 702 |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 26.10.2011 at 00:26 doesn't take much...
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| psykometal A staff guy... Elite Posts: 6101 |
Written by Baz Anderson on 23.10.2011 at 23:37 Ah I see, fair enough. Yea I'm looking forward to getting this...
---- ~Zep, Database and Forum Moderation~
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6098  |
This album would certainly be a 9 if I heard it in the 90's. Crunchy, juicy, catchy, obnoxiously pleasant and straightforwardly unpretentious. It sounds like the Sunlight Studios release too, with Tomas Skogsberg sound all over. But it's 2011 now, and I can't help thinking that Mr Mackintosh just wants to earn a few extra bucks by jumping on the revivalist bandwagon. He does it with class though!
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Pretty boring; doesn't do anything to stand out from any of the other (several) revivalist death metal albums released this year. Decent for the atmosphere alone, but nothing more.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by [user id=4365] on 25.10.2011 at 12:02 Btw Celtic Frost called as well they want half of the songs back
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 29.10.2011 at 20:54 I actually find it lacking in the atmosphere department.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Slinky666 Account deleted |
Slinky666
Account deleted
I like "brave" metal. More productions like this and we can crush pop culture with our metal machinery. 
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by [user id=123761] on 25.11.2011 at 02:40 Brave this? 
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Boxcar Willy yr a kook Posts: 9155  |
How have I not heard this yet.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by Boxcar Willy on 06.03.2012 at 22:12 Out of all the revival wave of oldm bands, this one is one of the least inspiring if you ask me.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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