Update:
With t he long awaited final chapter of The Warren of Snares trilogy,
Fall Of Efrafa conclude their mythological tale of an uprising against an oppresive
regime, based upon an interpretation of the classic novel Watership Down by
Richard Adams.
Inlé is crushing yet beautiful; ambient and atmospheric heavy post-hardcore,
bringing to mind the likes of Neurosis, Buried Inside, Envy, Earth and Godspeed
You! Black Emperor.
2xLP in deluxe gatefold packaging.
200 on Clear, 200 on Clear+Black Haze, 200 on Brown, 1400 on Black.
Biography:
Fall of Efrafa are a concept band formed in Brighton, United Kingdom in 2005,
starting life as a cello driven hardcore band, yet after various line up
changes, focused on creating their own sound, mixing elements of post rock,
post metal and ambient folk black metal.
They now describe their music as heavy atmospheric post hardcore.
The concept is based loosely around their own interpretation of the Mythology
in the novel “Watership Down” By Richard Adams, The band has created a trilogy
of records known collectively as “The Warren of Snares”: Owsla (guardian), Elil
(enemy), and lastly Inlé (death). The narrative behind the lyrics follows
a society on the brink of social collapse, under a theocratic rule. An uprising
occurs in the face of a greater enemy. Characters from the book, and the make
believe language known as ‘lapine' are also included in both the artwork and
lyrics.
The band have received a lot of praise for their music, both for the concept
surrounding the band - a mix of mythological language and imagery amidst anti-religious,
animal rights ideologies -and the music itself, although fans are often divided
when pigeon holing their sound.
The band is staunchly DIY, but manage to sidestep specific labels by incorporating
a mixture of disparate post rock and avant garde/folk black metal passages, and
hardcore punk influences.
Praise for Fall Of Efrafa
This a preemptive review of the record, now available for download, but to be
released on Double LP and CD later this month.
Inle is the final installment of a trilogy of records collectively known as The
Warren of snares - an ambitious project involving a concept surrounding
the book Watership Down. Although the lyrics are steeped in metaphor and the
odd use of the rabbit language called 'lapine', fall of efrafa have created a
dense multi layered project that should be appreciated for its mere tenacity,
even if you dislike the music they play. They formed in 2006 in brighton,
uk - blending angry fast hardcore punk with elements of atmospheric metal, they
released Owsla - the swansong of a dying world. A year later the second
part of the trilogy Elil was released, an entirely different animal,
three 20 minute songs, turning their sound on its head with epic passages of
driving post rock, Isis esque post metal and the hardcore punk as crescendos
to each monumental build up.
So it was not at all surprising that Inle is yet again a mile apart
from its predescessors. Two years in the making, Inle is a marked
progression of their sound. Guitarists Steve McCusker, Neil Kingsbury, bassist
Mike Douglas and drummer George Miles have pushed their sound to breaking point.
Gone is all sign of the d-beat elements of the band, yet they still retain the
anger and desperation incorporated into a controlled, overwhelming oeuvre.
The sound is more open, apparently recorded in a semi live environment. There
are five actual songs on this album, yet the massive introduction piece 'Simulacrum' could
be counted as a song on its own, a haunting dark lullaby of epic proportions,
blending seamlessly into 'Fu inle' , according to the lyrical explanation,
a conversation between the albums dying protagonist and death itself.
Vocalist Alex Bradshaw screams with more heart on this record than the last album,
which adds to the overall energy. This track climaxes before falling into the
second track, 'Republic of heaven' , almost a call to arms, a
song blessed with a triumphant chorus, and massive ending. 'The burial' is
a crunchy bombastic song, riff heavy rocking hardcore with Envy- esque
ethereal qualities, before stripping back the layers for 'Woundwort ',
a song that harks back to Elil in its somberness.
It also adds an unexpected southern quality to the mix, a twang that features
on this song and on the subsequent segue ' The sky suspended' , a
quiet reflective piece. This paves way for the final ever fall of efrafa song, 'The
warren of snares ', the title track of the entire trilogy. This song seems
to represent the whole album. Fall of efrafa have never been a complicated band
musically. Their songs are simple structures that build on simple structures.
Their technical ability is in the pacing of their songs, and in most cases the
long (and often burgeoning on too long) single chord build ups break
at just the right time, allowing great chasms to open up and swallow you whole
with crushing chord progressions. It is also the strong mythological narrative
that blesses this band with a unique quality that will no doubt be copied and
pasted on every progressive metal band for a few years to come.
Inle is about the feeling invoked. Inle means death, but
this is an uplifting album. It has the feeling of a band in control. There
will be many that miss the up tempo changes, the crusty hardcore sound that they
created on Owsla , but it is obvious this was not a conscious decision
and more of a logical next step. This is exactly how they describe themselves,
a mixture of distinct genres.
This album also manages to maintain the Fall of efrafa sound without playing
up to the many bands that inhabit that world of post metal. It is a beautiful
record, full of feeling and passion.
Fall of efrafa are still angry at the world, but a little more reserved.
Matt - ZOMG! Magazine
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