It can lead to pretentiousness and embarrassment. There are many bands out there, disbanded or otherwise, who should dispense with the grandiose, lower their heads, and rock out. Other bands, like The Fateful Hour, deserve more. They deserve hearty applause for showing uncommon bravery in venturing deep into unexplored territory. However, save your loudest clapping for the fact that their debut album pulls it off magnificently.
An Everlasting Silence opens with the portentously titled "Behold This Is Guilt", but any fears of it heralding some pseudo-profound lyric soon disappears. The band labels themselves as a "melodic doom" outfit and, if the term is unclear, the music clarifies. The absence of clean vocals, unsurprisingly, strikes a strong contrast with the expansive musical textures. While The Fateful Hour can certainly grind their boot heel into their listener's necks, the guitar arrangements creates space here for the music to breathe without sacrificing any musical weight. The lyric is a little too vague, but possesses an admirable economy of language appropriate for the song's musical focus.
"Into The Arms of the Heavens" is much more of a traditional doom track than the preceding song. The guitars share the same expansive thrust heard in the opener, but the earlier melodic content is virtually non-existent. Bands lacking clean vocals often place little to no importance on their lyric content except for atmospherics or mere ormentation, but vocalist Ben Fortier's growl never loses a line and enunciates without losing any of its power. "Crumbling Powers" gives listeners their first encounter with clean vocals on the album, but the true highlight of this mid-tempo stomper is the dramatic arrangement. This is where An Everlasting Silence's songwriting talents shine through.
The vocals for "Forced To Submit" alternate, once again, between a phlegmy growl and a light, mournful baritone. Fortier is a talented singer with deceptive control over his voice. The point is easy to miss when listening to this track, another well-arranged cross between metal and the melodic. "The Valley of Tears", perhaps the album's dramatic peak, conjures a monumental guitar workout seamlessly shifting from crushing staccato riffs into moments of pure lyricism. As well, the song is more evidence that ideas are bursting from this band, but unlike many new outfits, the band's songwriting maintains a steady focus .
"Final Farewell", the album's closing track, drives the aforementioned point home. Despite the band obviously flexing considerable muscle in an attempt to wrap the album up with an epic ending, The Fateful Hour never overplays their hand. Almost seven minutes in length, the track builds with an internal logic that plays to an experienced listeners expectations without ever losing their interest.
There are rough edges and underdeveloped elements. This is a debut. What is here, however, is indelible. It isn't some secondhand Pallbearer or a blundered, premeditated attempt at delivering an instant classics. Instead, An Everlasting Silence is an outstanding opening salvo from a band with a growing stock of firepower to burn.
Words: J. Hillenburg
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