?Classics? of power metal #7: FALCONER - Falconer (2001), upon further review

A few days ago, I was having a day that wasn't bad, per se, but involved feeling overwhelmed with little things to do of equal unimportance, needing to force myself to do a certain detail oriented task, and just exhausted.  I was absolutley not in the mood for power metal, and needed mopier, downbeat, avant-gard sort of music for the occasion.  Late in the afternoon, I did put on Falconer, though.  The record as a whole, and "Wings Of Serenity" in particular, hit the spot.  The next day was a much better day for high-energy anthems.  Falconer fit in well there, too, and "Wings Of Serenity" in particular hit the spot.  I've long been a believer in the premise that good enough music ought not to be limited to one's mood, at least not for me personally.  Sure, certain stuff is a better fit for certain times, but I like to listen to what I like to listen, and listening to what I like makes me feel good.  So I choose to read something into the fact that Falconer seems to be the right music for all times.

"Wings Of Serenity" rocks, with a simple but memorable charging riff that won't slow down and a lively drum beat pattern.  Once Mathias starts singing, though, the emotions start coming in.  His more downbeat delivery is fitting for the somber sentiment of the verses.  When the chorus hits and it's time to fly, we're soaring to high notes but with a downward turn at the end of each line, whilst the singer's delivery totally sells the twin feelings of striving and longing.  Being free and serene like an eagle* is a pipe dream born from disgust with humanity's excesses... but the song makes the dream itself sound so worthwhile.  As a vocal melody fan, my favorite thing about this record is that Mathias's singing constantly makes me feel things.  The things are often both upbeat and downbeat things at the same time.  

I'm inclined to credit Mathias most because he's almost instantly entered my shortlist of favorite metal singers.  I'm sure Stefan's songwriting is a huge part of the team.  Certainly it helps when songs have hooks, and yes, Falconer is full of hooks.  Yes, including the songs whose hooks were not immediately obvious: "Heresy In Disguise" is in fact incredibly hooky with its ah-ah-ahs of increasing intensity setting the stage for a great pre-chorus that in turn sets the stage for the title lyric.  "Substitutional World," a song I recently speculated might not be as hooky, is in fact crawling with hooks in all of its various sections.  I can't imagine that they're not enhanced by having, well, an actor as the vocalist, a guy capable of delivering a performance that's both compelling and nuanced.  I don't know how he does it so well, because I have to say that when I'm listening to the record, I'm not really dissecting individual elements.  Getting sucked into its world means going to a place, at least for me.

What exactly is it when I feel when I listen to Falconer?  Previously I described the band's worldview as being downbeat and "acid all the way down."  That's an oversimplification.  The place that Falconer takes the listener isn't hopeless.  It is definitely a world in which the worst people go unchecked because they're able to hide behind a veneer of piousness ("Heresy In Disguise"), and it is definitely a world in which courage and dedication often go wasted on idiocy ("The Quest For The Crown"), if not full-on meaningless deaths in the name of someone else's alleged glory ("Royal Galley").  Even in that world, we still strive passionately for those "Wings Of Serenity" that'll give us something better, and that's stirring in its own way.  When I turn my critic-wannabe brain on I might speculate whether the "Mindtraveller" is just a druggie, or at least accomplishing nothing with this internal quest.  But can one possibly not be stirred by the quest itself, at least the way Mathias sings about it?  Regardless of the context, we're still able to do great things ("Lord Of The Blacksmiths") and get in touch with some deeper mysteries that make the world feel richer ("The Past Still Lives On").  Despite its sometimes obscure lyrics,** "Substitutional World" is a tour de force that encompasses the record's dichotomies, presenting an empty world while encouraging this listener to look at the whole sky (and perhaps touch grass).  Of course the pulsating chord progression makes the verse-chorus sound soaring as the song presents its most hopeless lyrics.  When the song switches to its most downbeat sound in the wonderful middle part of the wonderful middle section, when the piano comes in whilst Mathias sings "who are you impersonate God?  Who are you to know it all?" in an almost breaking voice, that part is suprisingly absent of anger; it's about regret and the singer's desperation to break through to the listener.  And that's how the record Falconer, by the band Falconer, speaks to the human experience in a way that you just don't get from the majority of metal bands with medieval themed lyrics.

So, I stand by most of what I said in my first post about the elements of the music.  Especially the accomplishment of making such a folk-inspired album using almost exclusively power metal tropes.  What I hope I've been able to convey in this particular ramble is why my heart tells me that Falconer is a towering achievement as a piece of art.  Obviously, text has limits in describing music.  Maybe the best way to comprehend what I'm talking about would be to listen to the thing a few times.  To anyone reading, I highly recommend doing so.

Stray thoughts:

- Some of the hooks start to feel similar between songs, like the way "Lord Of The Blacksmiths" has a chorus that's honestly a lot like the one from "Wings Of Serenity."  They get away with it.  I base that satatement on the fact that LOTB has been stuck in my head most of the day.  (The rest of the time it's been "Per Tyrssons Döttrar I Vänge," which sounds less and less like a departure from the "main" set with each listen, as the folk-inspired elements throughout the record become more and more apparent.***)

- I keep feeling like I know that undertone post-chorus riff from "The Past Still Lives On" from somewhere.

- The one thing that I thought I'd get in the stew that is Falconer's sound is black metal.  Just listening without reading any background, I don't think I'd have imagined that anyone involved was ever in a black metal band.  Black metal (or "atmoblack," at least) and folk influences are a pretty natural pairing, so one would imagine it'd all run together.  

Favorite track:  "Wings Of Serenity"

Runner up:  "Substitutional World"

Least favorite track:  "Entering Eternity"

Rating:  5/5

Will I come back to Falconer?

Eventually.  Thing is, my brief browsing has led me to believe that the first record is the one everyone agrees on, whereas afterwards... well, the discography's different highlights have different fans.  Leads me to believe that maybe they never topped the self-titled.  It'd be heartbreaking to learn that they only had the one masterpiece in them.  So I'm going to sit with Falconer for awhile, let it be itself.  Eventually, though, yeah.  Maybe Northwind will turn out to be as great as its title.  Maybe the final record will prove to be the incredible and fitting sendoff that some say it is.****  When a band puts out something like Falconer, how can one not at least sample everything that they, or Mithotyn, ever released?

Things I learned about power metal:

- Folky melodies sound perfectly good played on a standard guitar-bass-drums setup

- The intersection of folk metal and power metal is capable of being as amazing as the idea sounds

- Power metal is absolutely capable of complex, emotionally resonant music that'd be a standout in any genre

Next:  Short break from this project at its halfway point... 

...but I shall return with early impressions of Kamelot's Epica, whenever I get around to it!

*Mostly a human fantasy.  I don't actually think it'd be any fun to be a bird, of any sort.  They always seem so busy and stressed out.

**In the end I see it as a song with a touch of environmentalism and a touch of general antiquarianism, but those may just be my priors spinning it that way.

***It helps that the record proper ends with "The Past Still Lives On," kinda setting the stage for the actual folk song both musically and lyrically...

****If I had a nickel for every time I discovered an absolutely amazing artist post-hoc who released their final record, with much fanfare about it being the final one, in 2020, I'd have multiple nickels.