Aquarius Records: Search Results for Artist: Falconer

Aquarius Records: Search Results for Artist: Falconer

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IMPORTANT (Please read to avoid confusion):
Some items below may be tagged with a bold, red, all-caps "out of print/unavailable" notice. This does NOT mean that all other items not so tagged are, in fact, in stock -- or for that matter, in print and available, though there's a good chance they are. Some folks get confused on this point, and we can see why, so please read this for further clarification and other important before-you-order information. Unlike some mailorder websites, we don't have an electronic inventory system linked to our site, so you can't be sure of what we actually have or don't have in stock at any given moment without asking us -- please email our mailorder department for availability status -- or better yet, just go ahead and place your order using our shopping cart function and we'll get back to you with the status of each item. If you have general non-mailorder questions, email the store.

FALCONER Among Beggars And Thieves (Metal Blade) cd 14.98

album cover FALCONER Chapters From A Vale Forlorn (Metal Blade) cd 15.98
Falconer's self-titled debut from last year was one of the "true metal" sensations around AQ at the time (that is, for Andee and Allan anyway, and I think we're getting Windy into 'em now too). The band's folk-derived melodicism and sheer heavy metal might was an unbeatable combination. This new disc is just as good, with songs that threaten to stick in your head for weeks (you're warned, listen to the sound samples a couple of times and you'll be humming 'em tomorrow). Of course, the folkiness and subject matter of songs like "Enter The Glade", "Lament Of A Minstrel" or "We Sold Our Homesteads" may seem silly to some, but that's ok. We like 'em that way. (The Lord Weird Slough Feg is another good example.) But it's not all Medieval folk-epics. Other songs, like "Busted To The Floor", demonstrate the rockin' Rainbow/Riot side of Falconer, complete with jamming Deep Purplish keyboards. You may recall the guitarist and drummer of Falconer used to be in a Viking black metal band called Mithotyn that we also really liked. They broke up but we're happy Falconer was the result, maintaining Mithotyn's heaviness but upping the melodic content. (Mithotyn fans, note: their sought-after final album, "Gathered Round The Oaken Table", has been reissued and is now back in stock!) The guitarist's riffs are still heavy, and catchier than ever, and their totally-NOT-black-metal vocalist utterly shines. It's not so much his voice itself that gets us, but his style and ability. He's damn good, and (because of his theatrical background) he does stuff other singers wouldn't think of -- there's lots of interesting detail in his vocal arrangements and delivery. He helps make Falconer one of the best 'power metal' bands on the planet. Catchy, heavy, majestic, a bit ridiculous, what more do you want?
RealAudio clip: "The Clarion Call"
RealAudio clip: "Busted To The Floor"

album cover FALCONER Grime Vs. Grandeur (Metal Blade) cd 15.98
No, the title isn't referring to the techno sort of Grime! This is the fourth album from the Swedish power-metal troupe, who if they DJed would certainly play tracks by Metal Church, Yngwie's Rising Force, and Judas Priest, not Dizzee Rascal. If you know who they are, by now you're either a fan of Falconer mainman Stefan Weinerhall's distinctive guitar work and '80s inspired, storm-the-castle-style of metal songsmithery, or this just isn't your sort of thing. But if you haven't heard 'em before and do think you might be interested, we'd suggest checking out one of their other albums, their self-titled debut perhaps, or follow-up Chapters From A Vale Forlorn, before this one. Fans, though, will find that Grime Vs. Grandeur's got all the usual Falconer sing-along theatrics and folky bits. Weinerhall's guitar playing -- his medieval riffs and melodies -- remains individual and recognizable, something quite unusual in a genre that's often so, uh, generic. He's to be applauded for that. The wailing vocalist -- the kind of Euro power-metal belter who can (and does) rhyme "rose" with "overdose" -- isn't so distinctive, but he gets the job done though. Overall, what we've got here is another Falconer album, and you probably know if you need one or not. Cheesy? Definitely, sure. And this could be their cheesiest. But they're still a better band than many in this genre, for some of us (Allan and Andee) quite the guilty pleasure.
MPEG Stream: "Purgatory Time"
MPEG Stream: "Child Of The Wild"

album cover FALCONER Northwind - Limited Edition (Metal Blade) 2cd 19.98
Andee hopped off the Falconer longboat/bus here, but Allan's still along for the Viking power metal ride. With their original, best vocalist back on the mic, it's another folky Falconer opus.

album cover FALCONER s/t (Metal Blade) cd 15.98
Mithotyn, AQ's fave "Viking" black metallers after Enslaved, are sadly gone. Their last album, the magnificent (and silly) "Gathered Round The Oaken Table" was the perfect epic Norse sing-a-long disc, merging blackened-folk-metal riffing with cleanly-sung vocal hooks for some of the funnest, heaviest Viking fantasy toonage we've yet heard. But, their record label (Invasion) went under, and we haven't even been able to stock that now unavailable album for many months now. Sad. But, not all is lost. Mithoyn is dead, but long live Falconer! Guitarist and main composer Stefan Weinerhall, together with another ex-Mithotyn man on drums, have recruited a very capable non-black metal vocalist for this new project. The result is something that they're obviously been striving towards for years: Viking-tinged '80s-style power metal, with only echoes of Weinerhall & Co.'s black metal past. The music is easily as heavy as that of their previous band, but with 100% melodic, soaring vocals (not unlike ex-Candlemass singer Messiah's lower register efforts). And the songwriting is even catchier, more "rock n' roll" -- like a combination of Mithotyn and, say, Maiden or Riot. Waaaay better than most current Euro power-metal troupes, 'cause it's actually POWERFUL. Medieval, folky passages, guitar heroics, majestic singing, righteous metal riffery: for this sort of thing nowadays, you can't go wrong with Falconer. Recommended. (And, we still have Mithotyn's 2nd album, "King Of The Distant Forest", which comes from a darker, blacker point in their career, but is equally brilliant.)
RealAudio clip: "Upon The Grave Of Guilt"
RealAudio clip: "Heresy In Disguise"

album cover FALCONER The Sceptre of Deception (Metal Blade) cd 14.98
Falconer's third is another solid power metal album from the medieval-minded Stefan Weinerhall (ex-Mithotyn) and company. And it's really a more ambitious effort than their others, as it's a concept album based on some rather obscure (to us) history, telling a complex and detailed story of political scheming for the Swedish throne circa 1290! As always, we're big fans of Weinerhall's triumpant songwriting and distinctive heavy metal guitar tone, but just a little disappointed that Falconer now has a new singer. Actually, though, he's not too different from the original guy so I'm sure we'll get used to him.
MPEG Stream: "The Coronation"

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