The Texan-quartet of FALL release their latest ep of melodic-death metal with the extra edge of progressive rock thrown into a very adventurous mix. They do not sound like a band straight out of Texas, with a slight airing of OPETH within the tunes framework.  Their roots can easily be mistaken for European based, however this is interesting nonetheless.  It would be unfair to simply label the band as death, there is a lot of variations showcased over the four-tracks, which may be the only downside as the listener may want a full album of this styled sound.

What does clearly stick out is the tremendous amount of passion that is injected into the tracks, not an emotionally blank song cycle by any stretch, as it detonates with the incendiary "Ascend" the listener is placed directly within the heart of the band.  A melodic slow-burning beast which builds with intensity through its progression as its momentum lifts and falls. Whereas "Defender" contains the most hard driving keyboard solo which raises its head from if out of nowhere, through changing tempos and heavy melody everything remains wholesome and interesting.  The bass running of David Gutierre, the other prominent feature of "Defender" may not work on many other death metal tracks or in bands for that matter, but not only suit their style he helps develop it, not a silent partner by any stretch.

"Heir Of Silence", the groups single release, starts with a rolling clean picked guitar which continues its theme throughout, although the voice of Jessie Santos is staggering in its virtuosity over a war of tone versus trash.  Santos has the talent to make this ep a memorable affair, though in the songwriting there is an intelligence at play which makes this FALL release very addictive. "Longing Spirits" is a definite winner, an eight-minute plus hair-standing on end thriller, it ends the short but highly impacting set, bringing the hard noise when needed at times when unexpected. That is what "The Dreamer Of Tragedy" actually comes across as, a musical struggle which brings drama into the music, a constant changing between the all out sonic guitar attack and the subtle, reflective shades of intensity.  They are at times moving away from the genre they have established themselves in and other times they are pulling you back in headfirst, this is a four track musical statement to enjoy.