Vallenfyre - A Fragile King

Things that make me go SQUEEEEEEE!!!!! Gregor Makintosh, guitar god and lover of the WaWa, from the kick ass band Paradise Lost has a new offering. This time, he's traded his axe for a microphone. Teaming up with Adrian Erlandsson (Paradise Lost), Hamish Glencross (My Dying Bride) and Mully and Scoot, Mackintosh gives a much humbled and grateful world... VALLENFYRE!!!! The debut album A Fragile King is released via Century Media records. The title, A Fragile King is a reference to Mackintosh's father battling and losing to cancer. He's said the lyrics are grim. Blimey, they are down right angry!

This is an album you HAVE TO buy! These are dudes you HAVE TO see live! If you can't make Bloodstock in 2012 - you gotta beg, torture, blackmail your local promoter to get them to play the United States.

All Will Suffer is a heavy sludgy doom laden bliss for the ears. It's the perfect doom metal song, almost operatic in it's execution. There is a flow to the music and then abrupt stops and lyrical passages.

Desecration gives the listener spit fire machine gun like guitars courtesy of Hamish and Mully. New to the vocal thing, Gregor's growly vocals are not hard to understand. His voice fits the bleakness of the music. Mojo JoJo wold be proud! Great guitar flourishes that ride above the rhythm guitar and bass. If you were into St. Vitus and Celtic Frost - you'll appreciate parts of this song. Desecration's composition is full of things you know and like, but put together expertly. I love how the song ends. I won't spoil it for you, but it's such a unique way to end a song and it totally fits.

Ravenous Whore vomits with circle pit intensity. It's sludgy, has a hefty low end, and is totally bass drum driven.

Cathedrals of Dread has loads of chord work. Awesome soloing here! The fretwork weaves in and out of the song. The lyrics are fierce and angry and not in that "cool" emo way. These are grown up emotions and frustrations everyone can relate to. The song is about betrayal of God and the anger of being at the end of your rope and realization that religion is not going to help you.

As the World Collapses encompasses that mouthwatering drop A tuning. It's beyond sludgy and has a thick dark sound to it.

Seeds evokes black velvet curtains, Nosferatu, candle chandeliers; it's very Bela Lagosi is dead.

Humanity Wept cries out for a circle pit. It's frenzied and fast paced.

My Black Siberia show cases some tight playing. This song contains no extraneous notes.

The Divine Have Fled is almost polka like. Polka Metal... at warp speed.

The Grim Irony sits just behind the beat. It's slow and slinky but has got a wicked groove. It's very dirge-like.

The limited Digipack and 180 gram vinyl sports a bonus track called Majesty Dethroned. It opens with a predatory growl before careening into psychotic machine gun drumming and guitar playing. Unrelenting pace it has and is not for the faint of heart.

Be happy! View the video for Cathedrals of Dread!!

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