FALLEN WISDOM
"Immortal"
(Century Media; 2005)
Reviewed by R.
Scott Bolton
Fallen Wisdom's "Immortal" begins with nearly a full minute of pounding tribal drums and then morphs effortlessly into the very Danzig-esque "Danza Macabra." From that point on, much like their "Pleasure Turns to Pain" CD, Fallen Wisdom keeps you guessing as to what's coming next, although not quite with the variety of the previous CD.
There are bottom-heavy sludgefests (the delightfully entitled "Deceased We Mate"), faster-paced rockers laden with punk attitude ("Holes") and straight-forward rock tunes (the title track, "Immortal"). There are balls-out speeders ("Beauty Lives in Black") and even a ballad-y radio hit ("In the Shadows").
As mentioned above, "Immortal" doesn't have quite the variety that "Pleasure Turns to Pain" did and that's actually a good thing. "Immortal" is a much more consistent record and listeners will get a much better feeling for the band without being distracted by surprisingly different styles and tempos.
The production here is a little rough; a bit more knob-twisting would have given the band a fuller sound. Still, overall, "Immortal" shows some welcome solidification and growth from the band's previous CD.
For more information, check out http://www.fallenwisdom.com.
"Pleasure
Turns to Pain" (Orchard; 2003)
Reviewed by R.
Scott Bolton
If it was Fallen Wisdom's game plan to feature as many different genres on their new CD as possible, then the Puerto Rican rockers have succeeded quite admirably.
"Pleasure Turns to Pain" is a surprisingly successful collection of songs that run the gamut from emulating the Misfits, Danzig, Marilyn Manson and others.
The CD begins with a very Manson-esque instrumental that is quickly followed by the nearly nu-metal "Alone." Track #3 is an ethereal ballad while most of the other tracks have the macabre punk rock style of the Misfits or the scary devil metal sound of Danzig. Add to that both a Spanish-language and English-language version of "Las Velas" (tracks 7 and 9 respectively) and things get even more diverse.
Amazingly, the band succeeds in each sub-genre quite well. And, perhaps more importantly, the mix of sounds - while eclectic - still works as a whole. Sure, there are a couple of tracks you'd just as soon skip past but, for the most part, "Pleasure Turns to Pain" is quite listenable.
If I have only one complaint about this CD, it's that - even after listening to "Pleasure Turns to Pain" - I'm not sure what Fallen Wisdom's sound is. I know who their influences are but am curious as to which song most closely represents their individual style.
For more information, check out http://www.fallenwisdom.com.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2005
by R. Scott Bolton. All
rights reserved.
Revised: 16 Sep 2024 12:13:33 -0400
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