A friend told me they thought that Fallujah had gone off the boil after “Dreamless” (2016). Well, I obviously didn’t think myself that after describing “Undying Light” (2019) as a “breathtaking experience of progressive heaviness”. What I hoped for here was another work of boisterous and technical metal. So far Fallujah have never disappointed me on record or on stage.
The brief opening was something or nothing but soon enough the war machine is upon us. Intense drum work and fast technical guitar start juddering through our heads and hearts. All the while there’s an escape to higher places. “The Bitter Taste of Clarity” is a harsh, dramatic and both brutal and ethereal affair. I expected the band to build on this, especially seeing the title “Radiant Ascension” but instead it’s a high-powered technical metal assault. But being Fallujah it doesn’t stop there. The breaks and diversions are sublime. This is a lot to take in, but by goodness it’s alive and exciting. The chorus is worthy of Soilwork and is unexpected, but at the same there’s never any watering down of power. The tension mounts and once again Fallujah’s fiery machine bursts into life to attack us with the pace, aggression and technicality of “Embrace Oblivion”. So, let’s break and slow it down. The haunting female voice we heard on “Radiant Ascension” is back again. It’s all a prelude to further rapid firepower of course. The mix is superb. Mood meets monstrosity. The guitar work is from the heavens. The growls add to the richness. We wallow in the technicality, and in the inventive and expressive structures. A ringing majesty passes through “Into the Eventide”. I think the addition of female vocals on a number of tracks as here enriches an already luscious album. The thing is that it’s not overdone or gimmicky, just as the djent, post-metal type ring “Into the Eventide” catches us up but is part of the overall recipe of ingredients which Fallujah blend to create this powerful force.
Always starting with rampant technical death metal, each song has clever twists and turns. The occasional clean vocal insertions may not be to the liking of the purist and I found them a bit strange on “Soulbreaker” but the concept is good and they enhance the feast of metal music that this album provides. “Duality of Intent” typically ranges between the in-your-face, here-and-now metal attack, and a mystical quieter section – representing the duality I suppose. But this is more than two-sided or in two places. Each song has a multitude of elements. “Mindless Omnipotent Master” suggests a form of domination. Fallujah’s style is dominant but where others might beat us to death, this band entices us along with its transforming atmospheres and multiple layers. Oh, and “Mindless Omnipotent Master” is dominant but that’s normal. “Celestial Resonance” takes the rare step of building up the drama rather than hitting us directly and then developing the soundscape. It’s also rare for being an instrumental. It is no less full of colour or atmosphere, and is an evocative piece. The final song on the album is “Artifacts”. The backdrop is instrumentally exotic. The music is fast and hard and of course technical. Above all it’s a great song on an album full of creative songs and varied structures.
To describe this album simply as a juggernaut would do it an injustice, as it would suggest that everything is on the same crushing level, and it is not that. Power and aggression are just two elements. “Empyrean” is full of energy, action and atmosphere. I’m hard pushed to say which of these 10 colourful compositions I like the most. They’re all good. Fallujah have brought us more breathtaking magic. Stunning.
(9/10 Andrew Doherty)
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