It's surprising how, in a city where the lights never go off and the streets are shared with 8.8 million people, one can feel so alone. Lost in the static of concrete, steel, rich and poor - a realm of ironies and paradoxes. Though not the first New York City based band to attempt to capture this sensation in word and music, Brooklyn's own Fellahin Fall manage to do in just four songs what some bands spend a career chasing.
With the release of their latest EP, Urbana, the quintet tell the story of a soul seeking to escape the tomb of the five boroughs. Taking musical cues from Swallow the Sun, Paradise Lost, and Anathema, each of the album's tracks serves up powerful sensations of loneliness and reflection.
Literally mentioning Sheepshead Bay by name, "Grey Morning" perfectly paints a picture of staring out over the ocean, processing deep thoughts. Recalling the late Peter Steele, vocalist and bassist of Brooklyn's original introspective doomsters Type O Negative, his words of 'cold eyes of Coney Island sand' come to life over the four and half minutes of this track.
Leading off with a catchy drum beat and moody bassline under a somber guitar lead, "The Parting" is the perfect soundscape of a broken heart wandering through Williamsburg. Paired with the brassy tenor of vocalist Nodar Khutortsov, the song plays as a confession of things never said. It's like a cool breeze blowing through your hair as you sit in the shadow of the old Domino Sugar factory, just a stone's throw from the Williamsburg Bridge.
Adding a bit more ambient doom elements, "Bury Me" calls to mind the sun setting over the empty streets of some of the more industrial sections of the city. Why have you come here, other than to walk in silence with your thoughts?
Concluding with the slow, synth/piano dominant "Everything I Touch Turns to Gold (Then To Coal)" the question posed to the one looking for convalescence from the city is do you run from something, or run to something? Like "Bury Me" before it, the structure of the song is simple, but the message is powerful and poignant - about as hard to miss as an oncoming L train.
The Metal Mayan review:
Somehow memories of heartache come to me with a shoreline attached to it. Whether it was Thessaloniki, Greece, or Transmitter Park in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, there's just somehow always a shore I recall gazing over.
Those days are gone, but my how "The Parting" brings them right back to me like it was yesterday. Every note captures the visceral pain of coming to terms with difficult news and a cruel reality. And for that, I have to give Fellahin Fall much respect for being able to convey an abstract feeling into an unbelievably powerful five and a half minute song.
Between the four tracks, Urbana is probably one of the finest examples of existential New York City metal this side of Type O Negative. Blending a little more electronic textures into their music, Fellahin Fall is unique among the gothic/ambient metal acts of today.
While we all wait for a tour, look for Fellahin Fall haunting a Brooklyn venue soon. Visit their Bandcamp page here and purchase your own copy of Urbana, out now!
Advanced copy courtesy of Secret Service PR