Grey Skies Fallen – Cold Dead Lands (Review)

This is the fifth album from Grey Skies Fallen, a progressive/melodic doom band from the US.

I enjoyed The Many Sides of Truth from 2014, so this new release is well-received.

Combining aspects of progressive metal, melodic death metal, and melodic doom, it’s good to hear Grey Skies Fallen deliver some new material. This new album takes influence from the doom side of the band’s style more consistently than previously, and this seems to suit them well; these songs are full of bleak emotion and dark feeling. There’s still more than enough aggression here too, however, where it’s needed.

Mournful and richly emotive, the band’s atmospheric metal has rarely sounded as full and attractive as it does on Cold Dead Lands. Heavy, (but not exclusively so), and well-written by people who clearly know how to craft a good tune, the songs unfold with melodic weight and metallic might. Well-considered riffs and wistful, contemplative leads abound, and the band’s songwriting overall is effective and engaging.

Luxuriously melancholic melodies are near-constant companions, although sometimes the band jettison these and fully embrace their heavier, more aggressive side. This demonstrates the fact that there’s a good breadth to the material on Cold Dead Lands, and Grey Skies Fallen are not one trick ponies. Mournfully doom-focused they may be a lot of the time, this is not their only state, and their melodic death metal roots still make appearances, (a song like Picking up the Pieces is a great example of the band’s range).

Taking into account the band’s singer, (who has a powerful delivery, whether this is clean singing, deep growls, or blackened screams), you’re presented with an accomplished album that is, in my humble opinion, the band’s best work so far in their career. Cold Dead Lands is an album to savour and enjoy at length. Make sure you give this one the time it deserves.