FALLS OF RAUROS — The Light That Dwells in Rotten Wood (review)

FALLS OF RAUROS — The Light That Dwells in Rotten Wood album cover

Album · 2011 · Atmospheric Black Metal

4.5/5 · 2011-08-28
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The Light That Dwells in Rotten Wood is the third studio effort to be released by United States’ Falls of Rauros. The six track, forty-three minute album was released in 2011. The group plays black metal with some minor touches of folk. The tracks are split into two distinct groups. Three and long black metal pieces while three are much shorter non-metal pieces that serve as an intro, interlude and outro respectively.

The three metal tracks are obviously the main focus here, but the opening Earth's Old Timid Grace does an excellent job of getting the album off. A light and melodic instrumental, as it gets nearing its end it starts containing hints of the black metal onslaught that is going to follow with Banished. Well, I say onslaught, the music certainly has the key elements of black metal, but there are some small folk touches to parts of the group’s music, and I dare say a little bit of a post-rock influence as well, though not to the extremes of an act such as Fen. Use of acoustics is commonplace in Falls of Rauros compositions, and I like that, because they do it extremely effectively.

Awaiting the Fire or Flood That Awakes It and Silence is are the other two metal tracks. Like Banished they are long track. Long tracks in black metal can sometimes be an issue for me, after all take the key elements of the style that Falls of Rauros are showcasing on The Light That Dwells in Rotten Wood; black metal styled riffs, and typical black metal rasps. Give me tracks over ten minutes in length just like that and I’m like to find a boredom fest. But Falls of Rauros don’t do that, they go beyond to create something more polished, though this still has a somewhat raw like quality to the heavy side of the music, but it’ also more complex than much black metal, though it may take a few listens to really discover just how much depth the record really has. I especially like the way they do actually break away from the usual methods for this sort of black metal and make a point of including some lead guitar that is very prominent in the mix that it’s impossible to not recognise it as a solo as opposed to the melodic leads that are heard in the lighter side to the band’s music. Overall the resulting atmosphere is nothing short of extraordinary.

The lighter pieces are also really good additions to the overall experience. The aforementioned Earth's Old Timid Grace is great for the way it uses melody to draw you in to thinking that The Light That Dwells in Rotten Wood is going to be an entirely laidback affair before moving seamlessly into Banished and the later lighter pieces also work really well within the larger context with the short Nonesuch River Chant proving a decent interlude and the closing The Cormorants Shiver on Their Rocks being just right to close off the album in a similar fashion to the way it began. There are some lighter sections in the metal tracks as well, but not so much as to leave one in doubt about the true nature of this release. The use of acoustic guitars throughout only improves upon the quality of the compositions when they shift things up a gear into the metal.

The balance is done just right between the two distinct sides of Falls of Rauros’ music here and that is why The Light that Dwells in Rotten Wood stands as one of the year’s finest black metal releases. This is an album that you just need to immerse yourself in and enjoy and I imagine that fans of the likes of Fen and artists like them will find something to enjoy here.

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven, scored at 9.2/10)