During the heyday of Melodic Death/Black Metal in the mid 90s, Sweden crowned itself the king of this distinct subgenre. There is no denying the quality of early works from the likes of Dissection or Sacramentum, yet within the Finnish underground was an act that sounded like none of the aforementioned bands. This was Fall of the Leafe, who played a unique brand of the sound on their debut demo ‘Storm of the Autumnfall’, which was further explored on 1998’s ‘Evanescent, Everfading’, an unsung gem that has finally been re-issued after many years.
What immediately strikes you with the opening notes of ‘The Celestial Keeper’ is the deep intricacy of the guitar work. While you have the typical harmonized riffs, the band rapidly displays their prowess with counterpoint, having each guitarist play an independent melody on top of another. Much like their countrymen Amorphis and Sentenced, the band has a noticeable folk influence in the guitar work that bestows the album with a regal splendor. The album never seems to stay in one place, you can suddenly be treated to a slower, mid-paced passage with a brimming melody before transitioning to furious blast beats and tremolo picking unlike in a more traditional Black Metal record. There is even sudden spoken word passages mingled within the tracks that give it this mystical and grandiose feeling.
At its core, what makes this album one of a kind is its unpredictability and shifting atmosphere. Traditional Melodic Death/Black has always reveled in evoking imagery of the cold plains where it originated from, ‘Evanescent, Everfading’ feels unique in that it can shift gears in a moments notice. While there are moments that evoke freezing days of snow, so too are there songs that could easily be the soundtrack to the white nights of the warmer months. The majestic ‘My Weeping Goddess’ is one such example, musically and lyrically exploring the end of summer and the arrival of colder weather with its intricate and carefully constructed guitar melodies.
Each song is brimming with an energy and dynamism that is difficult to replicate, never letting up for a second to let you catch your breath. If there were a track to highlight the beauty and complexity of the music, ‘With Each Fall of the Leafe’ is my go-to. The main riff in this song is extremely catchy with a folkloric touch, yet you’re also treated to sudden bursts of gorgeous counterpoint that catches you completely off guard and really gives the track a colossal feel.
In many ways, this album feels like the bridge between ‘North from Here’ and ‘Tales of a Thousand Lakes’ in a world where more bands would have emulated Finland rather than Sweden. Few albums can claim to be as adventurous as ‘Evanescent, Everfading’. This record is everything a fan of Melodic Death/Black could ask for and presents the style in a novel way which very few bands have ever attempted. The only truly modern acolyte of this record is Obsequiae, whose main songwriter Tanner contributed to the liner notes of the 2023 re-issue. Much like Tanner, I can only marvel at such a unique piece of music that is equally bold, beautiful and intense from start to finish. Hopefully the re-issue will bring many more acolytes to the fold.
