| The Fallen Crimson | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 7, 2020 | |||
| Length | 54:27 | |||
| Label | Temporary Residence Limited Pelagic Records Sonzai Records | |||
| Envy chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Fallen Crimson is the seventh studio album by Japanese screamo band Envy, released on February 7, 2020.
Background and recording
editOn April 1, 2016, approximately one year after Envy released their previous album Atheist's Cornea, vocalist Tetsuya Fukagawa left the band.[1]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Distorted Sound Magazine | 8/10[2] |
| Kerrang! | 4/5[3] |
| Punknews.org |   [4] |
The Fallen Crimson received positive reviews from music critics, with several reviewers hailing Envy’s comeback after Fukagawa’s return. Writing for Stereogum, which selected The Fallen Crimson as their "Album of the Week" during the week of the album's release, Tom Breihan praised it for its simultaneously pristine and intense qualities and as a "great place to start" for anyone wanting to start listening to the band, stating: "Envy’s music could soundtrack the dumbest show on TV ... and that show would magically transform into a raw and bruising emotional experience for anyone watching. Certain sounds can just do that."[5] A Punknews.org staff reviewer by the username "renaldo69" gave the album four stars out of five and called it "some of the band's best work to date"; the reviewer highlighted tracks "Marginalized Thread" and "HIKARI" as "testament[s] to how remarkable [Envy have] always been with cinematic offerings that range from melodic and charming to chaos when you least expect it."[4] In a review for Kerrang!, Olly Thomas rated The Fallen Crimson four out of five and hailed it as "a potent reminder that Envy were successfully blending cataclysmic heaviness and seductive beauty long before anyone had coined the term blackgaze."[3] Invisible Oranges writer Alex Brown praised the album as "cinematic" and an "emotional powerhouse" and lauded the incorporation of vocals by woman guest singer Achico in "Rhythm" and "Dawn and Gaze" – however, he also criticized the spoken word passages as monotonous.[6] Distorted Sound reviewer Daniel Fella described The Fallen Crimson as "the start of a new sonic era [for Envy] … slamming [post-rock and hardcore] together like a supernova", and subsequently praised the album for blending genres in an unorthodox yet effective manner; Fella rated the album eight out of ten.[2]
Stereogum
- "isn’t a record that you can just throw on in the background. You dive into it. You bathe in it. You let the whole thing wash over you"
- the album is immersive
- Cohesive album, although certain moments in songs individually stand out
- Noted "Statement of Freedom" for its hardcore sound
- praise for the album's way of creating tension and release
- Such as in "A Step In The Morning Whole"
- With fukagawa's return, the band found their sound, which is not really a departure from previous sound, but it can still "comfort and nourish"
- Good place to get started with Envy's discography
- Sound is cathartic; commented that the album can give life and catharsis to an otherwise boring show
Punknews.org
- seems to conflict with Stereogum re. comparison to previous sound - "back to help create a wall of sound unlike anything out there"
- quality is as "powerful" as their earlier works in the 90s and aughties
- best album to date
- also compliment for their use of tension and release
- compliment for their musical range; they can be soft and melodic to rowdy and "chaotic"
- also "most accessible" - seems to be similar with "great album to start w discography" comment ?
- the language barrier doesn't matter because the poetic lyricism leaves a lasting impact
- Also noted "Statement of Freedom" for its hardcore sound and its "themes of death" that give the album its "political edges"
Kerrang
- Also noted "Statement of Freedom"
- Also complimented it for the tension and release, or rather the blending of soft and loud sounds ("cataclysmic heaviness and seductive beauty")
- Citation: "Even the ferocity of Marginalized Thread is marked by a euphoric tone"
- 4/5
Invisible Oranges
- disagreement once again - "grown more post-rock than ever"
- "extra atmosphere with more minimalist performances"
- balances the more intense sounds with some melodic, emotional ones
- Praise for Achico's vocals, which worked well with Fukugawa's on "Dawn and Gaze" and highlighted the song's "massive, gorgeous climax"
- Praise for Fukugawa's raspy voice as well: "his gritty yells are always a treat to hear regardless of the track’s tone"
- Praise for the new drummer
- Criticized the spoken-word stuff, feeling it diluted the impact of the album's intense soundscape
- in contrast the reviewer thinks it may not be up to par with their previous works, but it is still good
Distorted Sound
- "they were defibrillated and a new found vigour surged through the ranks." - they were revitalized by Fukagawa's return
- "will earworm it’s way deeper than anything they’ve ever written before." - their catchiest album
- Also highlights "Statement of Freedom"
- "It can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what ENVY are at any given time ... they have played this game long enough to know where the puzzle pieces fit" - eclectic yet coherent
- Frequent shifts in tone; genres (such as post-rock and hardcore) are blended in an unorthodox yet effective manner
- States that fans of old will be the people in the best position to judge this album's quality relative to the rest of Envy's discography
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Statement of Freedom" | 3:49 |
| 2. | "Swaying Leaves and Scattering Breath" | 4:13 |
| 3. | "A Faint New World" | 5:28 |
| 4. | "Rhythm" | 6:21 |
| 5. | "Marginalized Thread" | 3:34 |
| 6. | "HIKARI" | 5:36 |
| 7. | "Eternal Memories and Reincarnation" | 3:09 |
| 8. | "Fingerprint Mark" | 3:05 |
| 9. | "Dawn and Gaze" | 6:44 |
| 10. | "Memories and the Limit" | 5:09 |
| 11. | "A Step in the Morning Glow" | 7:14 |
| Total length: | 54:27 | |
Personnel
editCredits are adapted from the liner notes.[7]
- Envy – performance
- Tetsuya Fukagawa
- Nobukata Kawai
- Manabu Nakagawa
- Yoshimitsu Taki
- Hiroki Watanabe
- yOshi
- Achiko – vocals (4)
- Josh Bonati – mastering
- David V. D'Andrea – artwork
- Hayato Minesaki – English translations
- Taku Nakai – design
- TOWA – insert painting
- Osami Yabuta – photography
- Daisuke Yamashita – engineering, mixing
- yOshi – English translations
References
edit- ^ Stewart-Panko, Kevin (January 22, 2020). "Inside the Unexpected Return of Japanese Post-Hardcore Heroes Envy". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Fella, Daniel (February 7, 2020). "ALBUM REVIEW: The Fallen Crimson – envy". Distorted Sound Magazine. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ a b Thomas, Olly (February 6, 2020). "Album Review: Envy – The Fallen Crimson". Kerrang!. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
- ^ a b "Envy - The Fallen Crimson (2020)". Punknews.org. March 23, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (February 4, 2020). "Album Of The Week: Envy The Fallen Crimson". Stereogum. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ Brown, Alex (February 19, 2020). "Surging After the Fall: Envy's "The Fallen Crimson" is an Atmospheric Rush". Invisible Oranges. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
- ^ Envy (2020). The Fallen Crimson (liner notes [CD]). Temporary Residence Limited. TRR341CD.