VALLENFYRE — Fear Those Who Fear Him (review)

VALLENFYRE — Fear Those Who Fear Him album cover Album · 2017 · Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Nightfly
Vallenfyre started as a side-line and a bit of fun for Paradise Lost guitarist Gregor Mackintosh and now ex-My Dying Bride guitarist Hamish Glencross, but since their debut album “A Fragile King” released in 2011, they’re still going strong and back with their Third outing “Fear Those Who Fear Him”. Adrian Erlandsson no longer occupies the drum stool, no doubt too busy with At The Gates, the Haunted etc, so in comes current Paradise Lost drummer Waltteri Väyrynen. The band has now shrunk to a three piece with Glencross also taking on bass duties.

It’s pretty much business as usual with once again a strong retro Swedish death metal influence prevailing with its raw guitar sound - think Dismember and Entombed. There’s also a hefty doom element capped off with a dose of punk. It’s another winner – this is heavy as hell and if anything they’ve gone and made the sound even rawer. The first couple of plays didn’t click with me but as soon as I cranked it up it began to make sense – this stuff needs to be played loud. Full of riffs that’ll pummel you into the ground, whether it’s the faster songs like “Messiah”, “Temple Of Rats” and the short sharp burst that is “Nihilist” Or doomier tracks like instrumental opener “Born to Decay” and “Cursed From The Womb”, either way its sledgehammer approach really hits the spot. Tracks like “Degeneration” add some Celtic Frost groove to the proceedings. It’s all aided by a thick organic production and an immense drum sound. Mackintosh once again supplies a convincing death growl and the band as a whole put in a strong performance.

I think I might slightly prefer last album “Splinters”, mainly down to the overall sound rather than anything lacking in the songwriting, which wasn’t quite as raw. Don’t let that put you off though as this is a great dose of retro doomy death metal.
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