Imagine yourself reaching a tranquil, shaded oasis after a long and arduous journey through dust and desert sands. Parched and delirious, you stumble into the shade of palm trees, and reach the blessed pool of water and life at the center. As you take the first sips, the water seems unnaturally cold even to a sunsick desert nomad. You look out over the water, and hear sharp cracks as you see the water freeze in with merciless, crystalline alacrity. Above you the trees moan, creak and shiver as an icy wind knifes in from the north, and carries with it an impossible precipitation: snow. This is the image conjured by Falling Leaves’ comeback tour-de-force The Silence that Binds Us.
Because the band was born in Jordan and is currently based in the UAE, the atmosphere they conjure is an unexpectedly frigid one, drawing comparisons to other bands inspired by unforgiving winters (Dawn of Solace, Counting Hours, and November’s Doom spring to mind) and offering about as much light or hope as an arctic tundra. The mix of despair and tranquility of this metaphor echoes in the cathartic music contained in The Silence that Binds us. This is a dour and doom-laden affair, replete with slow, aching and gratuitously dramatic melodies and despondent lyrics, many of which are delivered in a spoken-word like cadence that further accentuates the influence of November’s Doom and the presence of Paul Kuhr as a featuring vocalist on the album.
As alluded to in our premiere for “We Are Alone”, on other cuts the track list shows its teeth more successfully, like on “The Angel on My Shoulder”, “Shattered Hopes” and “The Everlasting Wounds”. Overall, the harsh vocals hit with a satisfying and gravelly growl suitable for this style of death/doom, and approach a truly cavernous grit here and there, like on “The Everlasting Wounds”. The riffs are generally confined to a mid-paced plod but prove effective in both melody and heft, especially when paired with those cavernous roars. Frigid, Kauan-like keys adorn the album in fitting moments, as on “Carvings”, “Ashes of My Mind”, adding to the frosty fanfare. There are even some welcome outings into Insomnium-esque melodic death metal riffing on “Shattered Hopes” and “The Visions of the Forsaken”. Although on the former track, hopes for an upbeat anthem are quickly shattered and then for good measure drowned in a particularly morose bit of vocals and strings, before the track goes for another upswing and closes on the album’s highest tempo offerings.The latter tracks starts slowly but develops powerfully, upping tempo and energy into a cantering dirge that remains just shy of a gallop.
The slow drama with which the album unfolds, coupled with the specific style of vocal delivery (very reminiscent of November’s Doom) make this a very specific and mood-dependent listen. When one is not ready to wallow, this can indeed be a tough pill to swallow. There also isn't a lot of variety on offer. If the core sound of melancholic, melodic death/doom is not what you’re looking for there is little else to latch on to here aside from the odd foray into higher tempo melodic death metal riffing. Nevertheless, as “Re-Silence (Part III)” closes out the album on a rather beautiful collection of melodies and a deliciously dramatic solo, I am left feeling satisfyingly drained.
Falling Leaves have clearly come a long way since their last release and have dropped a commendable piece of melodic death/doom in our laps, earning their place alongside the genre's more established acts with a tried and true sound. I hope on their next foray to hear them venture out even further in finding their own identity and adding some more spice and variety to proceedings.