Shooting Oblivion: Part II (Fallujah)

Aug 4 • Reviews, Shooting Oblivion, The Slumbering Ent • 2777 Views • No Comments on Shooting Oblivion: Part II (Fallujah)

Fallujah’s meteoric rise to popularity has definitely been the talk of the town. Unfortunately it belies the crucial shifts in sound with each album, something which has been easily forgotten. In the midst of all the talk that their last EP Nomadic and their latest outing The Flesh Prevails had made, their first full length The Harvest Wombs is often, a gem in its own right, overlooked. Dipankar Mohanty kicks back the Shooting Oblivion series in motion by letting out his thoughts on the album.

Artwork by Cypher Visual

These guys have something going on. One part of me says that they are trying too many things at once while another side reminds me of their melodic side which is damn good. Well, Fallujah are quite the band to hate. Their brand of ‘progressive atmospheric brutal death metal/deathcore’ is quite a combination which should not make any sense but the band’s music is not that complicated. Fallujah’s music emanates a spacey feel thanks to the melodic leads and solos which are the highlight of the album. The common denominator that runs through most of the songs is the layer of that spacey atmospheric harmonies above which the brutal parts make their play or manifest as a standalone entity. Similarities can be drawn to The Faceless who also seems to follow a similar pattern of songwriting, but Fallujah differentiate themselves by injecting more melodies. Those melodies derive a lot of influences from later-Neuraxis (which also plays a part in their brutal influences), Cynic and Quo vadis as well.

Good things first, the proggy melodies and solos receive the highest air time. If you’re going to listen to The Harvest Wombs then this is what will hit you most and would be the key takeaway. The bad, which is not exactly horrendous, are the aggressive and brutal parts. When meshed with the melodic layer they sound satisfactory but as standalone parts their limitations are exposed. These limitations are genre driven which prides itself in technical riffing and drumming but ends up without a soul. They seem to be like fillers which eventually are awaiting their chance to give away to the melodic parts. Also, their deathcore influences are pretty much evident here. In some of the songs like Cerebral Hybridization, Harvest Wombs and Assemblage of Wolves; Fallujah get it right. It feels like whenever the band is not tinkering with finding the right combination between complex brutal riffing and melody they get it spot on. But whenever the brutal riffs make their play Fallujah fall prey to their own creation. I’m really being strict here in my judgment, because on the surface the album in my opinion is pretty good. Some of the aggressive parts are also well done. Harvest Wombs seems divided between melodies and brutality the two distinct sides to the album. I would give full marks to Fallujah for generating the atmosphere that they were aiming for. Overall it’s a good journey.

Stream the full album below