Dav Dralleon - FALL OV MEN

After selling out cassette copies of their previous releases, Dav Dralleon is back in 2021 to continue their synth-domination with their most definitive release to date, "FALL OV MEN". This biblical-apocalypse inspired story comes packed with ten tracks in total and follows mankind's downfall. As described on Dav Dralleon's Bandcamp page, humanity's own corruption brings about "war, barbarism [and] savagery" as the norm. Dav Dralleon even went so far as to create a bit of a Biblical quote, utilizing and modifying the classic line "I am the Alpha and the Omega" from Revelation 22:13. All that being said, let's dive into the album. 



Kicking off this firestorm is 'Ultra Mass Krucifixion'. The beginning of the song is a punishing bout of epic percussions, cinematic blends, and samples of humanity begging for mercy. This cry for help is matched with distorted vocals and screams. Around the one-minute mark, Dav Dralleon turns the table and brings me into an apocalyptic (yet eerily danceable) tale of widespread slaughter. What makes Dav Dralleon's introductory song so addictive is the sheer amount of variety in glitchy beats. They do not try to stick to simple four-on-the-floor, but rather they interject various bits of thematic electronics into the mix. A smooth transition then brings me into 'Arkangel Firespawn'. A quote stating, "The world is going to end soon and you will suffer eternal damnation," is spoken. If this is what the soundtrack to eternal damnation sounds like, then there must be the greatest party in the cosmos happening in Hell. Sign me up. 

I was not too huge a fan of 'Vampyr Golgatha' in comparison to the previous two tracks. I felt as if the quickened pace was decent, but some of the randomized intervals of piano bits felt oddly out of place either when played solo or when accompanying synth lines throughout the song. However, I love the one-and-a-half minute outro. It's a slow and steady decline into cinematic and bass-riddled ambiance. 'Hydrabomination' had the best keys on the album out of all the tracks; the rapid piano bits sounds like something out of a John Carpenter flick and I adore it. 

'Sacred Sons Ov Horror' should be a pleaser for those whose attention span is less-than-nothing, as the tracks moves through so many segments it is hard to keep up. Darksynth beats pulverize in the intro; a breakdown to silence followed by more piano and 8-bit sounding electronics hit in around the one-minute and twenty-second mark; guitars make their mark around the two-minute and forty-second mark, and the song ends off on an industrial metal high note. This metal note doesn't stop as 'Vulkandeth' turns into a straight up, thrashy cyber-metal track. The god damned guitar solo that begins around the two-minute and thirty-second mark is flawless. Well done. 

An absolute stomp-fest comes in the form of 'Metatron', which allows some breathing room before getting back into the groove of fast paced, world-ending beats with 'Revenant King'. Though it is funny to call a song chill on the album, I believe that term can be applied to 'Dark Shepherd'. It is not quite as punchy as some of the other tracks on the album, and the backing synth made me feel as if I was listening to the opening score of a horror movie. The final song on the album is a collaboration with Romain Asenion. As can be expected, a hulking portion of the song is dedicated to doom metal beats which oddly compliment Dav Dralleon's score. 

"FALL OV MEN" is an over-the-top, darksynth album that will have you dancing like a looney in no time. But it is so much more than that; the glitchy sound effects that consistently pulverize and interrupt the beats are so damned satisfying. The guitars, whether thrashing about as on 'Vulkandeth' or committing to slower paced madness on the title track, are outstanding and satisfying. One song out of the ten was not to my liking, which still means I have nine Armageddon-bringing tracks to enjoy. The album is out in limited edition cassette right now, but expect that to sell out soon (and quickly at that). Eight out of ten! 

This review was commissioned through our Ko-fi page.
May 13 2021