Indian alternative rock band Fallen Letters recently released “Forlorn Pages,” their highly anticipated extended play release. The material consists of a handful of exceptional compositions that will instantly become your go to tracks whenever you need expertly assembled and flawlessly performed music. Those who paid attention to our pages before probably stumbled upon “Remain A Memory” and “Relapse,” two excellent singles released last year. The band made a wise move and released all the tracks as a standalone singles, giving them more than necessary exposure before the release date. Soundwise, Fallen Letters combine the fundamentals of modern alternative rock music with many different but complementary styles. Therefore, don’t be surprised if you stumble upon post-rock, post-metal, progressive rock, progressive metal, and other similar genres along the way. These clever musicians used all these additional elements to enhance, accentuate, decorate, and uplift their entire material on an entirely new level while remaining loyal to the primary sonic direction. These experimentations with different but complementary styles resulted in a calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal sonic experience worth repeating over and over again.
“Forlorn Pages” commences with “Prologue,” a half-minute overture that resembles some musique concrete and field recordings. It’s a seamless introduction that builds a delicate tension and prepares the listener to take a deep dive into the Fallen Letters’ musically luxurious universe. “For A While” is coming up next, signifying a calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal ambiance shaped by stacking many impressive vocal and instrumental layers. Everything sounds top-notch thanks to the dedication of each band member. From marvelous arpeggiated chord progressions, magnificent riffs, exceptional themes, melodies, harmonies, leads, and other sonic maneuvers to the equally intricate low-ends and outstanding rhythmic structures, this band immediately ensures you’re on the right place at the right time, and that you should stay dedicated to listening this EP till the end. “Remain A Memory” is another beautiful song that masterfully blends all the finest post-rock and post-metal qualities with subtle touches of progressive metal. As soon as you start listening to this track, you’ll realize Fallen Letters dedicated themselves to delivering a premium cathartic atmosphere where every orchestration shines bright in the mix. Still, “Remain A Memory” seems a bit heavier than “For A While,” with all those powerful and heavily distorted riffs, vividly hearable basslines, and robust drumming patterns lurking around during the choruses. However, the band finds ways to keep a dosage of calmness, especially in the vocal performance that never ceases to amaze during this sonic journey.
“Relapse” is another standout track with such a catchy, addictive, hypnotic, memorable melody that immediately gets into your head and refuses to let go even after the song finishes. The experienced vocalist skillfully balances low, mid, and high notes, follows the melody with precision and finesse, and helps out in delivering such a post-rock masterpiece. His vocal range emphasizes every note and beat, ensuring a pleasant listening experience for even those stumbling upon this genre for the first time. Of course, the instrumentations shine bright in the mix like on the previous songs, while the perfect servings of reverb, echo, and delay give more depth. “Our Own Demise” commences with a mesmerizing piano overture that beautifully transits into cleverly assembled arpeggiated chord progressions delivered on acoustic and clean-sounding electric guitars. It’s a calmer track, more like a ballad, but you’ll notice how subtle low-ends and profoundly detailed drumming contribute to its complexity with intricate basslines and precise rhythmic structures. The vocals shine once again with their calm performance that perfectly suits the ambiance. You’ll also notice how the string instruments help out by enhancing all the instrumentation with equally impressive leads.
Fallen Letter decided to close their excellent EP with “Beneath The Opaque Veil,” a masterful demonstration of their abilities, skills, talent, and experience. Maybe this composition arrives with a short and quiet intro, but don’t let this small detail fool you. It’s a heavy, powerful, robust demonstration of their power, arriving like a colossal slab of a well-articulated noise. They merged progressive and post-metal into this unique masterpiece that showcases how these metal subgenres can still sound so fresh and unique. The riffs and basslines are tight, offering a perfect backdrop for all the virtuosities, while the drumming bursts with aggression from all the possible sides. It’s an unsuspected closure of this material, but it works quite well thanks to their ability to break all the rules and shapeshift boundaries of so many music genres. This move also showcases how everything is possible if you know how to do it right, and Fallen Letters proved multiple times they’re skillful songwriters and musicians who know their sonic direction. “Forlorn Pages” demands your utmost attention. Don’t miss it!
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