There’s an odd thing that I’ve noticed almost whenever a band with a substantial following puts out something new that’s different in some way be it arguably minor to major: a very paradoxical set of circumstances result in the fans either complaining the band has almost betrayed their fans in a way or the fans saying the band has become boring, losing their touch doing the same shit over and over again. It’s in recent weeks that I’ve unfortunately seen the former case happen with Fallujah who has been a real constant for me whenever I see anyone talk about modern progressive death bands really pushing the genre. It’s with their upcoming album, “Undying Light”, that Fallujah sees themselves with a new vocalist and taking a new direction with their sound. While I can understand some people not being quite on board with the change given it’s not their cup of tea, it’s the people who vehemently deny this entire album based on the first few singles that I really want to convince to give “Undying Light” it’s due credit for the very acceptable album that I’ve found it to be.

Now, the thing with Fallujah up to before this album is that these guys were one of the go-to bands for anyone looking to get into any sort of technical or progressive death metal as their past few albums have been the sort of thing that really seemed to carry the style itself at times with the level of reverence and respect that Fallujah had garnered in that relatively short amount of time. Those albums were rife with experimentation, approaching things differently, and simply creating something new for us to hear. Everything had a very atmospheric and even spacey vibe about them that permeated every moment of those records in a very profound way. Going into “Undying Light”, it is paramount to understand that this is no longer the case. What we get with these ten tracks aren’t the grand arrays of ultimate experimentation in the realms that death metal inhabits, but instead something that’s more emotional and raw. Many seemed to have already had a problem with this and, particularly, the new vocals. While they aren’t anything that I’d rave over, they’re far from anything that I’d sneer at or even say fits poorly with the instruments of “Undying Light”. And with all this in play, Fallujah took a solid step into a new direction with this album where many would’ve greatly stumbled.

The big thing for me with this record wasn’t if Fallujah was going to sound even relatively the same as they did on past records as they didn’t really tickle my fancy to a great degree despite my high respect for them, but if Fallujah could make something that you can feel the power of. If you’re going to make an album that’s supposed to feel more emotional than past releases, that’s something you really need to make hit home in the end, and it’s with “Undying Light” that we see it done splendidly. It’s within this album that Fallujah bravely goes with a fair amount of progressive nature in their instruments but not anything close to previous works, a vocalist, whose first work with this new band can easily be seen as a real flop by some, I can’t help but see brimming with potential as we get glimpses of some solid range and passion that can easily fit amongst the grand puzzle at work here, and an accessibility that’s quite nice for anyone who felt intimidated or even put off by the epic levels that Fallujah has reached previously. “Undying Light” has a very solid array of tracks that you can really ponder over the lyrics and feel the heart poured into each one of them, and you can really hear Fallujah taking their first steps in this new direction but it’s with those steps that they have great confidence. And fortunately, it results in an album that I’ve no qualm giving a thumbs up in approval as we’re greeted with plenty of heaviness, unwavering emotion, and diversity that keeps you entranced.

I cannot help but see many fans continue to see this record as a deviation from an awesome streak that Fallujah has become known for and even as the downfall of a very revered band. I, for one, cannot help but see “Undying Light” for the foray into unknown territory for the band as well as something that’s definitely worth hearing at least once for there is plenty of excellence to enjoy should be willing to look for them and not just hear the new vocals and throw the album away to only call it trash. Such a treatment is far from fitting for the likes of “Undying Light”, and Fallujah would do well to see this record and build upon it for it’s then that we could get something that’s monumental for this band in a very different way.

“Undying Light” releases on March 15th via Nuclear Blast Records!

PRE-ORDER “Undying Light” via iTunes here.

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