Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
As the Los Angeles-based heavy rock band Fallen Suns close in on their second anniversary of activity, they celebrate a bit early with their stunning sophomore EP.
The four-song ‘Sol Aeternum‘ was ignited like a fast-burning fuse back at the start of November, and this thing has been burning up my digital player ever since. If you were around for the band’s early 2017 eponymous release, then you possess an inkling of what Fallen Suns are about.
Yet make no mistake, everything that made that release the memorable outing it was has been ratcheted up a thousandfold on this newest effort. Singer Gustavo Trujillo, guitarist Garrett Bower, bassist Jimmy Durish, and drummer Adrian Aguilar embody the process where four become one. One that has come to do a singular thing and nothing else: Rock!
The guys immediately blow the doors off this thing with the guitar-chunky intro cut, “Wither“. A bluesy, but ultra-heavy, groove gets things going right out of the gate and when Gustavo unleashes that first scream, you know it’s on! Winding and weaving its way through a variety of timings, tempos, and energies… this song is pure rock fury unbridled.
That is just the beginning mind you, as subsequent cuts “Chosen” and “Noose” continue this ride of amazing sonic brilliance. Each burns with blinding, blistering rock and roll so strong, yet tempered with emotion and feeling, like the type chock full to overflowing in “Chosen“. Time and time again Bower’s guitars strike with staggering swagger, as Durish and Aguilar provide abundant rhythmic vitality.
Though each track is unquestionably kick-ass in its own right, for me the album’s high point is the EP-ending “Down“. Another heavy blues number constructed on the strength of solid riffs, thundering rhythms, and explosive drumming, the song’s ebb and flow are like the pumping of adrenaline. Periodic placements of slow, simmering grooves are instantly obliterated with outwardly furious playing and of course, Trujillo again unleashes some banshee-like screams.
As far as up-to-the-minute modern rock goes, Fallen Suns and their latest, the ‘Sol Aeternum‘ EP, are as good as you will get… or want, for that matter. If you are looking for something that just balls-out rocks, that ignores trends, and refuses to compromise one iota when it comes to delivering the goods, then look no further.
Come meet this heavy hitter head-on via the Bandcamp embed below.
