Slow Fall - Obsidian Waves

Angry Metal Guy

Since the late 90s, Finland has been the spiritual home of sadboi melodeath; an idiosyncratic brand of melodic death/doom metal featuring weeping guitars, dejected rhythms, and a typical blend of pained growls and morose clean singing. Whether this flows from long, cold winter days or the characteristic Finnish solitariness is unclear but what’s more clear is the emotive impact of the music. Another band in the despondent deluge is Oulu’s Slow Fall, primed to reveal their second full-length album entitled Obsidian Waves. Their debut attained high marks from these very pages, while the one sheet promised a more progressive slant, so I began my journey into the black tides with high hopes.

The passage of the opening few tracks belies a deep familiarity you will already have with the Finnish melodeath scene. “Polaris” sports a speedy, melodic, synth-supported style that particularly evokes Omnium Gatherum, synchronizing chugging riffs, rhythmic harsh vocals and a melodic shredding layer at the top of the mix. The chorus swells into something bold and heroic, divined from Whoracle.¹ Obsidian Waves’s initial arrangements step down a path well-trodden, principally chasing energy and melody. They don’t do anything you’ve not heard before but you’ll hear a competent mix of the features that make melodeath enjoyable. I suspect it’s an approach designed to lure genre fans before introducing what makes Slow Fall a little different.

As you reach the last few minutes of the “Obsidian Waves” the band reveals their deception. This track and “Omega” lever brief passages of blackened screams and blast beats to introduce fire and fury, but the latter in particular blends this with a Hammond organ in its transitions, indicating progressive proclivities which become more apparent the longer the album runs. The back half of the record, beginning with “Melancholy and Witchcraft,” morphs into something more unpredictable and interesting. A quiet opening with soft singing and an understated guitar melody establishes a strong contrast to the remainder’s heaviness, with striking harmonized leads and shouts conferring a grand feel. Likewise, the closer called “Crown of Dead Leaves” integrates an acoustic guitar with an electric one to emotive effect, building a textured passage not heard across the preceding 36 minutes. A grinding guitar tone when the song progresses to its substantial mid-section augments its feeling of texture and depth. There are a few tracks here which, by contrast to the openers, are more expansive and experimental.

Nonetheless, the more progressive tracks work better because these aspects help to overcome some melodies which are relatively mediocre. Despite occasional quality, Slow Fall do little to entice me away from the well established Insomnium Gatherums. Obsidian Waves’s biggest deficiency is fundamentally average melodies. This is compounded by unremarkable instrumentation outside the guitars. The keyboard melodies aren’t especially winning or complex, being largely relegated to a guitar accompaniment. While I’d rather that the guitars lead on a metal record, the synths don’t truly impact the songs. In fact, the drums and bass are also secondary. Again, I would expect this of metal, but where the music is more predictable and the melodies more bland I’m listening for something else to catch my ear. Certain tracks, including “Son of Sleep,” “All the Blood” and the marginally slower “Reflections in the House of Shadows,” do very little to get my juices flowing. Finally, there’s an attempt at vocal variety across harsh and clean styles, but the singer is quite limited in his range and power when stretching himself.

Despite a few tracks which are stronger and reveal more to unpack over repeated listens, I’m still left with a sense of a wasted time investment here. Obsidian Waves teases something involving and rewarding but doesn’t consistently hit the core pillar of melodeath; namely, theatrical and infectious guitar leads. There are a couple of exceptions but Slow Fall readily slip into the background without the core riffs and melodies to pull you back. They definitely fall on the ambitious side of average so receive a middling score rather than something worse, but I can’t recommend Obsidian Waves to anyone other than those that really love melodeath.



Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320kbps mp3
Label: Out of Line Music
Website: facebook.com/slowfall
Releases worldwide: June 9th, 2023

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