Fallstaf: Bastard Sons of a Pure Breed (2011)

Review published by Legion on 2011-12-21

Fallstaf - Bastard Sons of a New Breed When I heard about Montreal’s Fallstaf and their debut album Bastard Sons of a New Breed, I was intrigued by the fact that these guys proclaimed to be trombone metal. That’s not an instrument you can hear often in metal music unless it’s part of an orchestra. So, reading about these guys, I couldn’t help myself thinking that they meant the brass metal thing as tongue-in-cheek, probably in an attempt to attract attention which has worked with me. I was curious to hear what this band had to offer: would it just be another ordinary metal band throwing here and there some unusual instrument notes or would they really have something original to offer? I discovered a band that is playing music far from my usual spectrum but still, I was pleasantly surprised!

To be more specific, the guys in Fallstaf are playing what could be best described as Thrash/Groove metal with hardcore influences. Listening to Bastard Sons of a New Breed, I couldn’t help myself but to think about an old favorite of mine that no longer exists, the rock band The Urge. Of course, Fallstaf is much heavier but there are definitely similarities between the two: the hardcore influences and the brass instrument which are a big part of their music, not just there to create some background noise.

The only downside on this album for me was the acoustic version of the song My Demons which I think just don’t fit with the remaining of the album. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very good ballad but I think it would have felt more at home on a The Verve or Simple Plan album. I had the impression that I was listening to a totally different band when I first heard it. Other than that, there are some very good moments here with songs such as Dark Days with its clear hardcore influences, The Cost with its simple yet catchy guitar riffs and Ten Years in Flames with its opening groovy bass line.

The guys in Fallstaf have managed to take different genres and put them together to create an album that sounds different from what I’m used to hear from my metal music explorations as I mentioned above. If you’re looking for something different, are not afraid to venture beyond the known and usual and have a thing for hardcore/groovy music, give Fallstaf a listen, you will probably enjoy it a lot.

Fallstaf - Bastard Sons of a Pure Breed:

1- Dark Days 3:25
2- The Cost 3:21
3- Eulogy 4:15
4- Not Welcome 3:41
5- Pull The Knife 3:36
6- My Demons (Acoustic) 4:24
7- Ten Years in Flames 2:34
8- The Hounds 5:36
9- Fuck The Fence 4:13
10- My Demons 4:23
11-Violent As Violence Can Be 4:11

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