Label: Frontiers Music Srl.
Release date: 14. 2. 2020
Production: Alessandro Del Vecchio
Album length: 49.57 min
Genre: Symphonic Power Metal
Rating: 8.0/10
In Gnosticism, an archon is an archangel, and in the story concept of this album, he’s the go-between for Earthlings and God. That’s what the story on the debut from the project Archon Angel revolves around. Archon is a modern-day archangel. Across ten tracks, the album “Fallen” lays out his troubles after he decides to sacrifice himself and bear the complete chaos caused by the Earthlings of today. Here. Now. You’ll get to know the further details of his (mostly bitter – which is no surprise) experiences by sitting down with the poetry of the ten songs on “Fallen.”
What’s more interesting than the worn-out concept, though, is the fact that Zak Stevens is on board as lead vocalist. The Canadian singer is best known for his time with the legendary Florida heavy and progressive metallers Savatage, as well as for fronting his own outfit Circle II Circle. The other half of the project is actually Aldo Lonobile from the Italian band Secret Sphere. The guy takes credit as the main author of the material, with help on arrangements and ideas from Alessandro Del Vecchio (Hardline, and otherwise the “jack of all trades” at Frontiers Music Srl.) and the outstanding guitarist of the prog-metal outfit DGM, Simone Mularoni. On bass on this album is Yves Campion from the French band Nightmare, who once upon a time, long ago, played in front of Sabaton at Cvetličarna in Ljubljana.
As you know, Savatage have been dead and buried for almost twenty years. Jon Oliva has disbanded his later band Jon Oliva’s Pain too, and Zak Stevens hasn’t put out an album with Circle II Cirlce in ages either. Today, Savatage’s music lives on only on Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s concert tours. Frontiers Music Srl. cunningly capitalized on this and heavily inflated the promo copy for “Fallen,” claiming that nothing in all that time has sounded more like Savatage than “Fallen” itself. That’s not true. If we’re nitpicking, Cliffs of Gallipoli by Sabaton is a bigger rip-off of the Savatage track Gutter Ballet than anything we hear on “Fallen.”
The opening title track will give Savatage fans a tingle, since it shares some family ties with Edge of Thorns in how the verse is arranged. There are a few more impulses later in the album that evoke the Savatage legacy too, especially the aforementioned “Edge of Thorns” album, but also “Handful Of Rain,” which the theatrical interweaving of repeated multi-layered choir melodies in the closing Return of the Storm hints at, for example.
It’s definitely worth keeping in mind that Lonobile is a classically trained musician and that neoclassical arrangement is a strong presence on this album, which, as a rule, is hardly surprising for an Italian approach to metal. The bristling guitar phrasing (shredding) is striking too, even overshadowing the keyboards in the production. So the album is really a symphonic power metal product with incredible musical catchiness. From start to finish, the tracks grab you with ultra-musical polish. The production has managed to create the desired contrasts, painting voracious moods full of drama and bombast. What sets the album apart from Savatage, besides a different type of guitarist and a different approach to phrasing, is the different integration of keyboards in the arrangements. The keys work like an orchestra, occasionally even resorting to curtains of synth, while the piano, which is there to tease Savatage fans, is added in pinches and in just the right places. Overall, the album can’t come even close to capturing the magic of the Savatage originals. If only because of the production. “Fallen” has been glued together a lot and is sonically heavily polished. So the soundscape is often robbed of natural tones and a sense of liveliness.
Stevens is still an excellent vocalist, with a piercing, warm and velvety vocal aura. His register mostly hammers away in the mid to lower-pitched ranges, as it always has. At the same time, the color of his vocal character is instantly recognizable, which from the get-go gives the songs a kind of “deceptive” hangout with Savatage. Rise is a track that owes a thank-you to classic Rainbow for its inspiration. Then there’s Under the Spell, with an opening lead phrase that speaks to a “Queensrÿche-esque” (late-eighties era) vibe. So, it’s not “just” Savatage. Not at all. Parts of the album also show the typical Italian approach to power metal, always thoroughly decked out with orchestral arrangements, as heard in Return of the Storm, which in turn sparks occasional associations with fellow countrymen Rhapsody of Fire, along with some kinship with progressive metal.
“Fallen” definitely evokes Savatage, but it doesn’t overdo it. As mentioned, it dodges the copycat mold deftly enough, which is very good. That gives the album enough credibility to be called its own musical story. The tracks are tailor-made for Zak Stevens’ vocal range, and his involvement is the element that conjures up the most Savatage associations. Everything else on the album is a cute bit of “teasing,” with detours that, as mentioned, credibly steer the record clear of the “copy-paste” syndrome. That makes “Fallen” interesting enough and definitely worth your attention.
Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Tracklist:
1. Fallen
2. The Serpent
3. Rise
4. Under The Spell
5. Twilight
6. Faces Of Innocence
7. Hit The Wall
8. Who’s In The Mirror
9. Brought To The Edge
10. Return Of The Storm
Lineup:
Zak Stevens – vocals
Aldo Lonobile – guitar
Antonio Agate – keyboards, piano
Yves Campion – bass
Marco Lazzarini – drums
