In my humble opinion, Fall of the Leafe are one of metal’s underappreciated gems, even with the slight misstep of Volvere, Fermina and Vantage remain two of the best unheard album in the dark rock, Goth rock, hard rock genre (and their early work remains some of the best Goth/death metal around). And while most of you go silly over the overhyped new Paradise Lost, I’ll be gently absorbing Aerolithe, the new album from FOTL, and their best offering since Fermina.

Foremost, front man Tuomas Tuominen still (along with Ignite’s Zoli Teglas) remains one of the most distinctive and captivating voices in metal, and on Aerolithe he delivers a simply stunning performance, even injecting a little of the bands earlier era styled gruffness into the mix. His silky smooth, utterly unique voice carries most of the mid paced, riff driven material that seems to be the band’s most aggressive work since their early days.

After introductory “Opening”, “All The Good Faith” is the first of 9 svelte, shimmering, yet guitar based tracks of artistic, creative and catchy, impeccably delivered Goth rock. Tracks “Drawing Worry”, “Lithe”, “Graceful Retreat”, “Minor Nuisance” show the band at their most antagonistic, with surprising heft not heard since August Wernicke, while “At a Breath’s Pace” and especially “Sink Teeth Here” slow things down and give Tuominen a chance to really expand his range and lungs without being too ballad-y. Standout tracks “Especially By Stealth” and “Look Into Me” bring the album to a stunning climax before “Closure” seals the alabum with a delicate outro.

Absolutely every element on this album, from the drumming of Matias Aaltonen to the perfect production oozes class and top notch quality from a band that simply deserve way more credit and attention. Let’s change that right now.

[Visit the band's website]

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