There seem to be two sides to the black metal fence. Many people pick a side and then argue quite intensely that they are on the right side and those on the other side are wrong. (Ever read the Dr. Seuss book called The Butter Battle Book?) Those sides are simply put extreme or raw black metal and atmospheric black metal. The major difference is the reliance on keyboards or not.
With Slechtvalk, we have a one man band who apparently has found enjoyment (as I personally have as well) in listening to the offerings of both sides. With his premiere album Falconry we have a marriage of these styles. It's like taking Kekal or Horde and mixing in heavy doses of Sanctifica or Vaakevandring without any one of those influences being the foremost sound. Wait a second...isn't that just a longwinded way of saying you're getting a very original sound here? Yes! I believe it is.
Grindboy is right, only three songs got printed in the insert with lyrics. However in my copy Fear Dark sent along an extra sheet called 'The Unprinted Lyrics' and I got every song...including the last song which is in Shamgar's native tongue...so it doesn't do me much good! Granted it does seem that the darkest of the songs on this CD were chosen to be printed in the insert (possibly to help appeal to the unsaved BM fans out there) but there is no denying the rest of the songs' message here. There are a few places where the use of the english language is a bit weak but it's easily overlooked. Still my favorite line comes from one of the dark songs in the unprinted list called 'In Hell I Burn' which goes;
I remember the face of Jesus
At the Day of Judgment
when He watched me being condemned
for not accepting His Sacrifice
Musically the guitars have that buzzy extreme BM sound to them and are very intense. The drums are programmed and for the most part are pretty well handled. A friend of mine and I have argued over whether or not Kekal could ever find a drummer who could humanly manage some of the pieces they programmed. I always say yes they could, however the song mentioned above 'In Hell I Burn' I'm certain is simply impossible to play on a kit with accuracy. There are some other parts that seem inhuman as well. The keys are just fantastic, never over shadowing the songs, never the full center piece, and never lost in the music either. The vocals are mostly high pitched, but the amazing part is they're VERY understandable. Shamgar will change style to a deeper growl and even does some deep speaking parts for a bit of atmosphere once in awhile.
I feel this is one of the best albums to be released from Fear Dark and certainly is going down as a Christian black metal classic. Like BM at all? Then you need to look into this release.
9/10
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #89Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt"...A soft breeze rustled the leaves of the forest's canopy as night began to fall. A man, called Shamgar by some, wandered along a hunter's trail, almost overgrown by the forest's lush undergrowth, the sound of his footsteps muffled by the thick carpet of pine needles and leaves underfoot. Shamgar carried a falcon, named Slechtvalk, on one leather-gloved wrist. A small leather hood covered the…Art for the Ears 2000Reviewed by Marco PovervestSlechtvalk is the Dutch name of a certain falcon. To be precise, the Falco Peregrinus. A book I consulted says "no other bird of prey strikes its victims so much into fear, has such a raging speed and kills in such an advanced and fast manner". So, the Slechtvalk is a bird of extremes. Shamgar, mastermind behind Slechtvalk, was apparently inspired by this bird to name his latest project…Dead Zine 2000Reviewed by GrindboyI wasn't sure what to expect with this album, but I took Sorg's recommendation and am quite pleased! Combine Kekal's aggression and (very well programmed) drum machine with very Antestor-ish vocals and keys with the "plunk out a melody" philosophy heard on Lengsel's Stille Dualisme, for example, and that should be a decent description of the Slechtvalk sound. The keys do from time to time take on…Dead Zine 2000Reviewed by SORGThis is an amazing release from the Dutch black metal band Slechtvalk! Falconry is a cd that is sure to stay in my disc changer for a long time to come! The overall style is "symphonic" or "atmospheric" black metal similar to bands like Antestor or Dimmu Borgir. The music is mostly mid-paced (with a couple of fast songs) and quite dark sounding. Slechtvalk mastermind Shamgar plays all the…Similar sounding releases
2000SanctificaSpirit Of Purity
2003Crimson MoonlightThe Covenant Progress
2002MegiddonIncidents Before the Time
1997GodFrom the Moldavian Ecclesiastic Throne
1999KekalEmbrace the Dead
1998AntestorThe Return of the Black Death
