Sounding like they’ve just been beamed down from the set of Blade Runner, Fallujah are more than happy to utilise, and even indulge in, many of the staple sounds of the tech-metal movement.
At first glance, it’s not the brightest thing to do if you have any ambition of standing out from the scene’s also-rans, and it could make Dreamless indistinguishable among the clamour. Instead, Fallujah’s third album is an unexpectedly brilliant bolt from the blue. Yes, the polyrhythmic juddering and futuristic space synths are all present and correct, but there’s so much more to Fallujah than that. Existing in the unexplored space between Devin Townsend at his most expansive and Thy Art Is Murder’s concrete heaviness, Dreamless is as odd, unique and awesome as that combination sounds.
So while the ambitious instrumental title track – which presses on for more than six minutes – is a thing of swirling, technicoloured prog majesty, the meaty stomp of The Void Alone offers the pure thrill and adrenaline rush of savage metal at its most intoxicating.
Fallujah are offering much more than just something new; this is something excellent.
