Just when I thought you couldn’t change Metal anymore Fallstaf has managed just that feat. Now warping the genre such as they have which I would have never thought possible. Who would have ever thought to add a Trombone to their songs?. The best part about the added brass is the fact that it is not just a added track onto the songs and for the most part does play a major part in the songs. Now creating their own Genre being proclaimed as Brass Metal.

Take the first song for example “Dark Days” the opening to the song pretty much is left to the Trombone except for a faint dark audio track playing in the back ground. I will admit that I was taken astray a little when I first heard the track especially not reading anything about Fallstaf except for the album cover so I thought I knew what I was in for. It took me a couple of listens to through the song before I really got into the track as I didn’t know what was going to be coming next as they keep the guessing game going throughout the track and also the entire album. For the first minute of the song instruments slowly make their appearances, then the music quickly goes from left to right a couple of times and that’s when Fallstaf starts kicking the shit off. The compatibility between the trombone and guitars actually sound as if they belong with each other for the most part, there are a couple of areas where the trombone kind of stood out a little more than it should have. The kick drum definitely destroys the trombone when it comes to speed and power however. The vocals throughout the song and the rest of the album are audible, usually metal tends to loose a little on the vocal end of things but Ian keeps it together throughout the album. They are also probably the best deep sounding vocals that I have heard in awhile as well.

“The Cost” comes up next with a heavy handed guitar riff to start things off. The vocals very strongly hit the song hard which gives the song that extra deeper and darker edge. This is one of the songs where the trombone could have been left out a little more. I found myself really listening to the guitars for the first couple of passes through the song especially the heavy opening riff. Throughout most of the songs the drums and the guitars go together but the for the most part the Trombone sticks out not really blending in with anything. The vocals again for me takes control of the song, the cross between the backing sounding vocals and lead vocals adds a different sounding element to the song. The way the vocals are performed sound as if they are recorded separately which then are placed into the song just by the way they cut in and out.

Fallstaf slows the album down a little for two songs in the middle of the album with “Pull The Knife” and “My Demons”. “Pull The Knife” starts off a little lighter then the other tracks but does quickly regain the Metal Edge of Fallstaf. The tempo changes throughout a couple of times throughout the songs. “Pull The Knife” is  a song where the Trombone sounds as if it belongs to the song. It can be heard a faintly behind the guitars in the heavier parts in the song and hits it hard during a few of the quieter parts of the song. Now going back to you don’t know what to expect from the album here comes “My Demons” a acoustic songs. The lyrics are what you really have to pay attention to in this song the most. The Hitman nails the trombone sections in this song. The trombone can be faintly heard again but you can hear it when it matters the most, and sounds as if it belongs with the guitars. The deep vocals helps carry out the strength of the lyrics throughout the song.

“Ten Years In Flames” opens up with a heavy handed bass riff before the guitars take over, the trombone can be heard at the start of the song with the guitars but quickly gets hidden in behind the power of the guitars. The main riff of the song is one of my favourite off of the album. To me the vocals get shelved a little from the guitars in the song, mostly due to the fact that there is a lack of lyrics to the song. The lyrics are mostly spoken in the song but in the same tenacity most of the songs on the album. While having a lack of lyrics in the song almost benefits the song in a sense as track really shows off the strength of the instrumental aspect of Fallstaf.