Now one of the occasional perks of running this modest blog is receiving an email like the one Hamish Murray (Fallen Order vocalist) send me the other day. Would I like to review his band’s debut EP he asked. Of course was the answer. MP3 files duly sent and this reviewers ears very pleasantly surprised.
Firstly, you probably haven’t heard of Fallen Order before so here’s a bit of an intro before we get in to the songs. Formed in 2005 and hailing from Lower Hutt, New Zealand. Fallen Order play Metal of the heavy kind.
Combining a strong dose of 80’s Metal with the influence of a few modern day defenders of the faith, Fallen Order brings their own sound to the table while remaining true to the elements of traditional Heavy Metal.
Having successfully completed their first New Zealand tour in 2013 and having shared the stage with such great acts as Korpiklanni & Lord. Fallen Order stand together at the forefront of New Zealand Heavy Metal, poised to lead the charge into 2014.
Band comprises of:
Fallen Order is:
Hamish Murray – Vocals
Ben Jays – Guitar
Kieran Gallagher – Guitar
Tooley – Bass
Nikki Terror – Drums
Okey dokey, The EP. The Age of Kings. Five tracks, all very, very good indeed. If you like your heavy rock/metal to be what I’ll call “traditional”, well crafted and with a melodic twist you’ll be well in to this. Harkens back to the NWOBHM days too. I can hear early Iron Maiden, period Judas Priest and not a little UFO in there.
Stand Together starts with a Miadenesque riff which gets the foot tapping and the head nodding (if you’re in to that, I’m way too old). It doesn’t let go either. Classic twin guitar sound which rocks along apace with nice, fluid guitar breaks.
Sign Your Life Away, Falling Down and Beyond Death continue in similar vein – strong riffs/hooks chugging along nicely and Hamish puts in a fine vocal performance too. Hits the high notes at times not unlike a young Rob Halford.
One cut left. And it’s an epic nine-minuter. The Age of Kings. It’s proper, proper classic heavy metal. Twists and turns, riffs, solos, melody. I’d go as far as saying it reminds one of Priest classic Beyond the Realms of Death. Oh yes, it’s that good.
The Age of Kings will be due out on February the 21st as an independent release by the band. If you can find it, buy it….! Should Fallen Order get an even break we will surely be hearing more about them after this release. Hamish tells me it’ll be available from the major MP3 sites. You know, iTunes and similar.
More at http://www.fallenorderband.com