Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
Sacramento’s caustic industrial metal unit Fallen Man is back with another sonic documentation of humanity’s decline, ‘We Are At War‘. If you know anything about this long-running underground entity, then you know that Fallen Man finds its inspiration in the actual fall of man.
The latest 10-song salvo from guitarist/vocalist Mike Gardiner, guitarist Eric Maldonado, and contributors Rich Recker and Carl Ciadella, is an unhindered social observation set to scathing music. Reinforced by relative, real-time events, you can hear the headlines of your local news outlets translated to song form here. The repercussions of our shared dissolving sociopolitical climes are presented here with full force and fluidity.
From the first blistering guitars of the title track ‘We Are At War‘ we realize that yes, we are in fact. Even if you don’t know, it makes no difference as the struggle is real, it’s here in your face and in your ears. Driving the point home are such songs as the chunky, riff-driven ‘Last One Standing‘ or the old-school influenced, almost death metal ‘Feast Of Slaves‘. There are equally volatile nods to punk rock like that in ‘Blanco Diablo‘ and even doom on ‘Blackened Heart‘ and ‘Feel The Fire‘.
As is common with Fallen Man, the industrial metal elements run strong throughout the record, riveted into place with impacting heaviness. Plus, the use of samples in all the right places provides a narrative thread to the events unfolding. They work as a connecting thematic concept to create an underlying seam to the songs themselves.
Mike’s vocals are quite venomous, harshly delivered with razor-sharp severity in their oft time sneering sarcasm and obvious disgust. One of the finest examples of this here is ‘S.T.F.U.‘, caustic damnation of Hollywood, social media, and the elitist mindset that so many revel in these days.
If you are into relevant, message-driven metal that provides a significantly fiery exposé to the very real destruction of man, this is it! An apocalyptic investigation set to intense music that slices and dices through the rampant deceit around us. Ultimately, it is a damning indictment of man’s own absurdity and incessant urges toward self-destruction.
If you have the fortitude to take it on then you will find Fallen Man‘s ‘We Are At War‘ streaming in the Bandcamp embed below. You can discover how to get your hands on the release there or the band’s Facebook page here.