Melodic hard rock and metal five piece Jupiter Falls have had some high praise over the past year. Formed in 2013 in Leeds, the five piece with an eye for melody, killer grooves and tantalising guitar wizardry have gone from strength to strength, the highlight being a support on the Jake E Lee’s Red Dragon Cartel UK tour last year. Set to unleash their debut this summer, let’s see if this promising band can bring another British based musical revolution.
Starting off with the “Now I lay Me Down To Sleep” children’s bedtime prayer, made famous in the metal world by Metallica when they started to decline as a musical force in the eyes of some, album opener “Awake” has some serious punch to it. The dramatic spoken section leads to some big vocals, meaty riffs and twisty lead fills. Clean in the verse with a decent melodic line and strong, passionate vocals which have a hint of rawness to them, the song gets going for the chorus which has a real kick to it. The heavy guitars in the chorus give it a modern metal edge and when the solo comes in, it really shines. Melodic, well composed and over a decent rhythm, it caps what is a good album opener. “Chasing The Dragon” has a real 80’s hard rock edge to it. Sounding like something Guns ‘N Roses might have recorded during the Appetite for Destruction sessions, the sleazy, high paced track gets you from the off. With a sense of familiarity to it, the track just draws you in with its catchy groove and the melodic and gritty vocal delivery goes well with the sound. Its punchy hard rock feel oozes through the track, not letting up and the solo is a fantastic effort, almost as if the lead guitarist is channelling his inner Slash. Hot on this tracks heels comes “To The Point” which keeps the 80’s hard rock feel. That air of familiarity to the AFD era GNR sound works well. Filled with great grooves, great sounding riffs and fantastic vocals, it’s a textbook example of what happens when you get melody and rawness mixed to the right proportions. Littered with sublime lead fills and a technically sound solo, this track keeps the bar set by the previous track high.
“Forgiven” has a slow, sorrowful sounding intro. The rich sound of the guitar and bass creates a good atmosphere and this track brings in the more metal feel again. Pounding distorted chords and a great harmony lead line lead to the verse which adopts a slight Scandinavian feel with its fast pace, great groove and wailing pinch harmonics and this goes on for both verse and chorus. Gritty and raw vocals in the verse are complimented by emotive and powerful cleans in the chorus and the rhythm progression under the twisting solo is fantastic. “Story Of A Liar” has a heavy intro with some great use of the talkbox effect on the guitar. A fast paced, edgy feeling rock number, its meaty groove laden verse with powerful vocals leads to a slightly slower pre-chorus before it slows down in the chorus, making way for some great lead melodies and tight rhythm work. Shifting from fast pace to steady, it keeps the groove feeling fresh and allows the bass to shine with some great runs during the build up to the solo which is once again like the rest so far – well composed and executed brilliantly. “When The Time Is Right” brings back the metal edge. Synth use into a big drum fill kicks off the track, leading into some great metalcore sounding riffs. Using the clean approach in the verse, the vocals are strong and the distorted lead over clean guitar helps create a sense of feeling. Solid in the chorus and with another melodic solo which is simple in composition with bags of expression, this track really hits the mark and the harmony solo which leads the track to its end is a delight to listen to.
“World War Three” brings back the GNR Feel, evoking a similar and less dramatic feeling to that of ‘Civil War’. Great clean guitar tone, a rich, deep bass and passionate vocals, it has quite a positive feel to it despite the melancholic theme of the lyrics. The solo hits with a good impact – full on distortion and a real big sound to it, it wakes the sleepy track up briefly before settling again in the second verse which seems to have more of a build up feel to it. The second chorus hits once again and has a great sounding progression which builds up to the expressive solo over a great rhythm section. The song ends with some real beefy chunky chords and a real dramatic feel. Whilst not as epic as Civil War, it has a similar impact. “End Of The World” is a fast paced number. Whilst not quite speed metal, its riff has that kind of feel to it. Great tempo, solid vocals, plenty of chugging in the verse rhythm and a chorus with a real kick to it and some great harmony vocals, this is a real lively track which gets you back to attention. If the song doesn’t quite get you, the lightening quick flair filled solo certainly will! “Bitter” swells in volume with a heavy melodic metalcore feel to it which revisits that slight Scandinavian feel. Solid rhythm throughout with some thunderous bass and beefy riffs, it’s a heavy sounding track with a real pounding feel to it. Gritty vocals, expressive leads and a fluid solo, it’s a real solid track with no major strengths or weakness to point out.
“Someday” is the token ballad of the album. The bright sounding acoustic intro is joined by clean singing, steady drums and a subtle lead melody before the chorus brings the dirt and some real emotional singing. It’s simple in structure and has some great moments from the drums and when it transitions to the following verse, the choir like synths join in along with more subtle lead fills, giving it an extra edge and a real nice sound. The second chorus paves way for a huge sounding solo which has some great expressive moments, harmony lines and real flair filled moments which mark one of the best lead guitar spots on this entire album. Going back to the chorus once more, the track ends with the clean progression of the verse and the synths fading out. “Lei É Quella” (Italian for She Is The One) is the penultimate track of the album. Opening up clean with distorted guitars fading in, a big chord signals the start of the verse. Powerful vocals and a distorted variant of the clean progression drive the song on as it shifts to some big sounding chords for the build up to the chorus. Powerful vocals, a hypnotic lead melody and some vocal “Woah’s” give a big moment feel to the track and when the solo comes in later on, it has a real big sound to it. Technical, great harmony sections and incredible licks joined by the vocal “Woah’s”, it makes for a solid track and one of the best on the album.
“Where Are You Now” closes the album. It has a dark feel to the sound of the lone piano opening it and the expressive intro solo works well with the piano melody. In the verse the guitars are clean and vocals are slightly softer than the rest of the album but as expected, it really kicks in for the chorus with a big sound and powerful vocals which make an impact. The solo is like the rest, another fine example of expressive, technically sound and melodic guitar work over a solid rhythm section and the final chorus really ups the feel with more dramatic vocal and drum work before another soaring lead line leads the track to its final run which fades out into piano and synth.
“Revolution” is exactly what it says on the tin. It’s an explosive debut album from five musicians who have created something special. Jupiter Falls are one to watch for the future. Mixing hard rock and metal, channelling the spirit of Appetite for Destruction and writing some brilliant songs, this is one of the best debut albums I have heard in a long time. I have wrote at great length about this album and I could easily have go on for longer. Melodic, Memorable and Refreshing, “Revolution” is, in my opinion, essential listening for 2015
(10/10 Fraggle)
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