Fallen Icon – North of Nowhere (2015)

Having stuff arrive from all over the world is one of the perks of working at Infernal Masquerade, today for the first time in 4 years we received a package from Malta. Featuring Fallen Icon’s debut EP “North of Nowhere”, this package is one of the most brutal and yet well-crafted Groove/Death Metal releases in a while. Pummeling through 23 minutes of crushing music, this Maltese trio delivers a relentless performance that should be recognized.

After the moody intro, “North of Nowhere” brings to the listener a crushing atmosphere filled with pummeling guitar riffs and tight drumming. Chris Bonello does a great job handling the guitars while delivering punishing growls. Perfectly mixing Groove and traditional Death Metal elements with some more modern Thrash touches, tracks like “Descent into Darkness” and “Through Sludge and Misery” are headbanging feasts that will entice people to mosh non-stop.

Through the duration of this EP, the band showcases their unique abilities to deliver punishing songs filled with groovy riffs and crafty tempo changes as we can hear in the powerful “The Reckoning”. Never letting go, the band continues their high-octane musical approach from beginning to end with heaps of powerful tracks that nicely culminate with the imposing “Damnation”.

As one of the most balanced debut releases we have heard, “North of Nowhere” is one hell of sampler of what Fallen Icon can do. Thanks to their very diverse and rich sound, the band creates tracks that never get dull and are full of little details that add to the replay value of this release. If you are ready for a groovy and thrash-y onslaught of Death Metal, look no further and pick up a copy of this solid release.

Label: Self-Released

Release: April 28th, 2015

Genre: Groove/Death Metal

Country: Malta