Fallen Arise are a Greek Melodic Symphonic Metal band who are now fronted by fabulous British Vocalist Fiona Creaby. Also the vocalist in in Apparition, her classy, note-perfect, mature vocals show right from the start that her introduction into the band has enabled Fallen Arise to push themselves musically and finally achieve the sound that they have been striving for on their last couple of releases.
Though it’s slightly evident that this talented band are lacking the cash injection on a recording level to push their sound even higher, the basic vibe is somewhere around Delain, Amberian Dawn, early Xandria, Within Temptation and a heavier Edenbridge. The addition of harsh male vocals hint at a Leaves’ Eyes leaning too, but the songs stick more with the Melodic/Symphonic rather than Power Metal-soaked heaviness. Fiona carries each song and melody line perfectly, oozing professionalism and becoming the focal point of each track with a tone and delivery reminiscent of Sharon Den Adel and Charlotte Wessels, but incorporating echoes of Candice Knight or even further back Miriam Stockley and Maggie Reilly (check out the gorgeous ‘Horizon’ if anyone knows those last two names and tell me I’m wrong!). The other instruments tend to fade a little into the background at times, which I think is mainly down to the sparse mix and production, which would benefit from beefing up the guitars, male vocals and bass as well as having the keys a touch higher as well to maybe fill the sound out.
There are a few bands over the last twenty years or so that have tried to capture a Melodic Metal approach with a Symphonic Metal sound, and sometimes it works, but as so many more bands have proved, sometimes you need to heavy things up occasionally as well – so possibly this is the next step for Fallen Arise. A bigger production would probably go a long way towards doing this and make the male vocals fit better in the songs rather than becoming a slightly misplaced irritation, which they are in danger of doing at times. The songs and talent are certainly there, but unfortunately, in a very crowded Symphonic pond, “Enigma” just seems to be slightly missing something when compared to other current releases in a similar vein. That said, this is definitely Fallen Arise’s best album to date – they are certainly heading in the right direction and with the addition of Fiona Creaby being an absolute master-stroke, it’s more than evident that given a larger recording budget, this band have the means and method to be right up there with the best of the genre.
(7/10 Andy Barker)
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