ALBUM REVIEW: The Fallen Crimson – envy

Given their long and eventful history, few would have expected ENVY to be starting 2020 with one of the best albums of their career. Having entered a period of stagnation in 2015 after 20 years of existence, things seemed to be heading on a downward slide for the band, but once vocalist Tetsuya Fukagawa returned a couple of years later, they were defibrillated and a new found vigour surged through the ranks. Cue new members and an eye catching single released around a year ago, and this Japanese sextet are once again fully operational and hell bent on reincarnation.

As a promising byproduct of this rebirth, ENVY promise the start of a new sonic era, and this comes in the form of the new record The Fallen Crimson. Given that this band were writing post-hardcore long before that term was even coined, it is no surprise that the album grabs post-rock in one hand and hardcore in the other before slamming them together like a supernova. Destined to sound as frenetic live as on record, it is a swirling infusion of rampant chaos that will earworm it’s way deeper than anything they’ve ever written before.

In its infancy we find rigorous riffs as Statement Of Freedom explodes into life and stereotypical screams and spoken word cut through a track that rips apart our senses, before morphing into a more melodic version of itself and stroking heartstrings. Into Swaying Leaves And Scattering Breath, where things feel a bit ALEXISONFIRE, and the musicianship is more reserved. Cautious and patient, the track ebbs and flows towards calmer, post-rock inspired waters. 

ENVY wanted the album to feel intense, overwhelming, beautiful and destructive all at once, and while listening to tracks like Marginalized Thread and HIKARI, the philosophy starts to make sense. It can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what ENVY are at any given time, as vocals drift towards black metal territory while the music gets softer, or impossibly beautiful ambience suddenly takes stage before crashing into metallic chaos. But they have played this game long enough to know where the puzzle pieces fit, and for the most part the result is coherent and makes for intelligent listening.

To say that ENVY are back at their best isn’t necessarily an overstatement, but they have certainly benefited from change and a little breathing space. Fingerprint Mark and Dawn And Gaze continue to show just how excellent they can be at throwing in the kitchen sink, as they constantly surprise us with combinations that shouldn’t work, yet frankly slot together perfectly. The constant jumps could become irritating for some, simply because it feels hard to get into a rhythm with the album, but that can’t take away from how well built The Fallen Crimson is.

Fans of old will be the best judge of how this album fares in the ENVY discography, but regardless, this is an album built for a contemporary world that demands more versatility, more innovation and more passion than ever before. Hook by hook, this is an album capable of winning our hearts, and upon their return to the forefront of the scene, ENVY cannot ask for any more than that.

Rating: 8/10

The Fallen Crimson is out now via Pelagic Records.

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