I have to admit that their inaugural single “Ultraviolet” didn’t click with me after the first spin and had left me really disappointed. There could have been a lot of factors to that, but eventually it grew on me and is now one of my favorite tracks of the album. I’ve read comments of people making fun of the band’s new vocalist with remarks such as “Fallujah Wears Prada”, which are funny and as stupid as they get. Alas, I too wasn’t too fond of the new frontman considering Alex Hofmann’s death-y sounding vocals fitted more the music (or, rather, we got used to hearing him), but Antonio Palermo ended up convincing me after all (I mean, he’s pretty good, there wasn’t any reason to dislike him).
“Undying Light” starts with Glass House, a straight forward track and without you necessarily noticing, it already tells us what this new album is all about. Straightforward compositions, less sophisticated than previously heard but still efficient as hell. The Fallujah vibes are obviously there, but I like the fact that they just didn’t decide to rest on their laurels. The album flows naturally, and is really fun listen. The “Ultraviolet” and ”Dopamine” combo is probably a highlight of the album. Two well crafted tracks, that are a different and new approach to the Fallujah style of progressive/technical death metal. To this point, the absence of guitarist Brian James doesn’t go unnoticed either.
Sadly, the ugh part of the album comes at its mid-section. Although the album does good in being efficient and coherent, it ends up being a bit repetitive and fails to provide with fresh and interesting ideas. There are some sparkles of genius here and there though, as “Distant and Cold” and “Departure” show us. But overall, this isn’t your groundbreaking prog/tech/whatever death metal album - especially for the band’s standards. It also feels a bit flat when compared with Fallujah’s previous efforts. Furthermore, a better production would have helped this album to sound more efficient than it already is.Thankfully, the album possesses two great closers with “Distant Cold” and “Departure” which is another highlight of “Undying Light”.
Ultimately, what makes “Undying Light” an enjoyable album is the fact that, without being revolutionary or the best in the band’s discography, it succeeds to deliver a cohesive result against the odds and given the context. The departures of Alex Hoffman and Brian James are a turning point in Fallujah’s artistic path and I reckon that the next album will be more experimental, unique and will set a new standard of what the new Fallujah is and represents. In the meantime, I’ll definitely be spinning this album a lot since it delivers what I personally didn’t even expect from it. For others, I understand that this is not what they anticipate from Fallujah, and for them, well, let’s say they still have the previous line-up’s legacy. Because I don’t think we’ll be hearing from the old Fallujah ever again.
Footnote: The album artwork is gorgeous.
