THE CRESTFALLEN

This EP has now been combined with short album "Pentecost 3" released in 1995 to form a tastefully packaged 74 minute single CD release. Originally released in 1992, this the band's debut EP consists of 5 tracks running to just over half an hour.

Straight away, we are presented with the band's signature sound of heavy, doom laden guitars and indecipherable growled vocals. Helpfully, the sleeve notes include full lyrics, which are actually thoughtfully written. Unfortunately, vocalist (I use the term loosely) White Darren does not sing at all as such, but simply growls them out in the same monotone. It is a shame really, as the underlying guitar work is interesting. The stately pace remains the same for "The sweet suffering" which once again features some fine guitar work but is vocally bereft of value.

Things take a sudden and marked turn for the better with the short acoustic song "Everwake" which features distant female vocals. The song is quite delightful, not just for its own intrinsic value but as an oasis of beauty in a heavy EP.

The 10 minute title track features piano, apparently played by Darren Cavanagh, the writer of the track. Instrumentally, there is a post rock feel to the pounding guitar and phonetic drumming. The lyrics here are overwhelmingly depressive with line such as "I want for nothing, I live for nothing, I am waiting to die but I am afraid of dying" being slowly ground out without any apparent synchronisation with the instrumental backing.

The EP concludes with the 8 minute "They die" which includes the line "An ode to their plight is this dirge" the word being an accurate summary for the EP as a whole (with the exception of "Everwake").

I appreciate that my review will not find favour with devotees of the band, although it appears this EP is not held in particularly high esteem even by them. I hope however it does give the casual enquirer an idea of what to expect.

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