THY KINGDOM FALLETH

New Dawn Rising

Jeff Claassen (2003)

email link: falleth@merr.com

no album art available at this time

review by Bill Binkelman

Jeff Claassen's (who records as Thy Kingdom Falleth) New Dawn Rising straddles the line between prog fusion and the more ramped up genre of prog metal, sometimes succeeding in the former but having less positive results in the latter, although I am admittedly not plugged into the metal scene at all these days. Just the same, even I can recognize production and engineering limitations as well as a lack of flair in the blitzkrieg-type numbers. It's not that Claassen is an untalented guitarist, but I think he succeeds much more solidly when he stresses his keyboards, which he plays with style and creativity. I also don't know that putting a crank-up-the-amp axe number after a more polished synth instrumental tune makes for any sense of continuity. Of course, that may be just the point.

Another technical shortcoming of the album is one that I find commonplace (unfortunately) in independent productions. The drums are too far forward in the mix and they overpower the melodic drama of the music, usually by pushing aside the synthesizers or drowning them out. Also, in this particular album's case, the drum playing simply doesn't have the same level of creativity as the keyboard work does. You'll hear it immediately on the first track, "Awake (Intro)" during which swirling layers of keyboards are overtaken by pounding snare and tom-toms, undercutting the impressive spaciness of the synths. Later in the song, repeating cascading refrains help to balance things out a bit.

There are eight tracks in all on the CD. Songs where synths dominate include that opening piece, as well as "Goddessy," which opens with a quasi-techno beat anchoring the melody carried by twinkling synths and piano notes. Unfortunately, the introduction of some traditional trap kit drums derails the song's momentum a bit. "Opiphiny" melds buzzsaw electric guitar with one of Claassen's best synth riffs. The guitar, which is only in the left channel, detracts from the song because it sounds muddy and, by being isolated as it is, the effect is insubstantial. "Mournings Reflection" starts out much more subdued with rolling piano chords over restrained, almost delicate, guitar playing, but is once again marred by those omnipresent snare beats and cymbal crashes. On this track, it's a real shame because the juxtaposition between the impressive keyboard work and mellower guitar would be nice to hear more clearly. However, at the mid point of the song, Claassen dials the amplifier way up, and switches to soaring synths as well, crafting the piece into a powerful slice of prog metal. Not my cup o' tea, but well-handled by the artist.

New Dawn Rising is one of those CDs that proves disappointing because it offers evidence of the artist's talent, but is ultimately undone by a lack of technical recording technique and a clash of musical styles that, for me at least, proved jarring. With tighter production, a lot of work at the mixing board, and less reliance on axe-power, I think Claassen could offer up solid prog fusion. Here's hoping that his next effort shows improvement in these areas.