In Tolkien’s Middle Earth (cf. Lord Of The Rings), the Falls Of Rauros are the huge falls at the lake of Nen Hithoel above the river Anduin at the Emyn Muil-rocks, with the mighty Argonath, enormous carved pillars representing Anarion and Isildur, on both sides of the fall – in case you did not know this, and in case you do care.
Falls Of Rauros, however, also are an American band (hailing from Portland, Maine), formed in 2005 by Aaron ‘Acrimonious Vagabond’ Charles and Ray ‘Abhorrent Wayfarer’ Capizzo. After some demos, they recorded and released a first full length in 2008 (Hail Wind And Hewn Oak), and a second one in 2011 (The Light That Dwells In Rotten Wood). In February 2014 there was a split-LP with Panopticon (the review on this band’s latest album, Roads To The North, was updated on September 22nd 2014, for your information), and now the band shows up with a third full album, Believe In No Coming Shore, also released in co-operation in between Nordvis and Bindrune for the European and the American market respectively.
Believe In No Coming Shore lasts for forty two minutes and does not differ that much from the band’s former efforts. The album opens with a short acoustic intro, Blue Misshapen Dusk, which combines elements from Post-Rock and Americana. The introduction gets followed by Ancestors Of Shadow, which starts within a comparable vein, though with inclusion of electric instruments and drums. The track builds up whole the time, and grim vocals and heavier riffs join in. Further on the tempo gets slightly faster, the rhythms become more intense, and the riff structures much more technical and powerful. Nice are the melodic twin guitar leads, a characteristic element for Falls Of Rauros. Throughout this track, and this goes, evidently, for the other ones too, there are lots of changes in speed and melody, structure and atmosphere, creating a passionate and persuasive result. Throughout the album there are elements from Post-Rock and Folk (Metal), which includes a couple of epic details, still based on those great twin tremolo leads and the acoustic, sometimes Americana-injected melodies (cf. Waxen Voices or the last part of Ancestors Of Smoke).
Believe In No Coming Shore is an interpretation of Atmospheric Black Metal, yet not of the desolate kind, and a modern interpretation of Post-oriented Metal, yet not of what we nowadays label as Post-Black; I’d rather call it something like Blackened Post-Metal. The experience of this album is pretty emotive; nevertheless it does sound catchy. Besides the whole is executed with progressive-technical creativity, yet with a highly acceptable and accessible approach too.