Eden Falling

Eden falling wants to publicly state that this reviewer's opinions on our HERO, Ozzy Osbourne, are not those of Eden Falling. WE LOVE OZZY!

Current Issue: VOL. 2 - NO. 4 April 15th – May 14th, 2006

Eden Falling
Alexandria, Virginia
Unsigned
www.edenfalling.com

By: Darren Tierney

Eden Falling’s genre is a bit complicated to pin down. To be precise, we can simply say that they rock. They apparently associate themselves with the rock genre, but there are many elements of metal in their music. It is not strictly metal because it is melodic and sometimes catchy. So I guess to be overly anal about classifications, we might say that they are on the borderline between hard rock and metal. They are about as metal as early Ozzy, and sometimes sound like early Ozzy (minus the embarrassing and cheesy aspects of early Ozzy-post-Sabbath). There is grunge influence as well. Some parts are reminiscent of Alice in Chains. There is also a gothic influence that I won’t try to find a comparison for due to my ignorance about anything “gothic.” So, despite my classifying attempts, you get the idea. They rock. Enough said.

“Red Rum” is their finest accomplishment. It starts out with creepy riffs being played on clean guitars. The chorus comes, the heavy distortion kicks in, and Eden Falling delivers with a really good really heavy song. I found myself fighting off the urge to bang my head. The overdrive distortion is perfectly heavy, and the production is flawless-well produced, but still brutally raw.

The same goes for their other songs. “Home” is a slow, haunting tune that utilizes the same method off clean verse and heavily distorted chorus. It is done well. “Beast in Me” also rocks. The occasional double bass drumming helps a lot.

It says in the band biography that they have some elements of the blues. Yet, the songs don’t sound anything like blues. Then, I realized that “blues” was referring to the sounds of Jennifer Allen, the incredibly talented female vocalist. She can sing and yell high-pitched notes and low-pitched notes. During the low-pitches, she sounds a little bluesy. Her talent works perfectly with the music. If she were to quit Eden Falling, I don’t think the band could ever replace her. Apparently, she has won awards for her vocals. I didn’t pay that much attention to the lyrics. They have gothic themes that are common in this genre. They don’t add or distract from the music, which is all I could ask for anyway.

Eden Falling has released a 5 song E.P. called “Bite the Apple.” They have opened for bands such as Veruca Salt. I wouldn’t be surprised if they became very successful. They could appeal to fans of both the rock and metal genre. If they appeared at Ozzfest and blew some of those bands away-including that embarrassment they call Ozzy-I wouldn’t be at all surprised.

Dude,don't bash my hero please!

- Northeast In-Tune Magazine

By J. Mehlberg
Broadside Correspondent

"I'll build a masterpiece with blood, sweat, tears and truth," Jenn Allen says with determined conviction.

Her energy and her words match the intensity with which her band, Eden Falling, has come together.

Only eight months into the band’s existence, they have already recorded an Extended Play called Bite the Apple!, received regular airtime on major FM stations like DC101, WCLH 90.7 and KFEX 97.7 and are also performing at clubs throughout the eastern region.

Listening to the EP for the first time, the catchy guitar riffs on the opening track, “Beast in Me” immediately demands attention.

Allen’s vocals are surprising. Her voice, like Eden Falling’s music, is a bit elusive. It is powerful and gorgeous, but her style of singing is not something usually present in current rock. It is reminiscent more of classic rock. There is a hint of blues and also the kind of clarity and control that suggested something like operatic training.

A combination of metal, rock and blues is a close description of the mesh of sounds comprising the five-song EP.

The diverse elements speak to the different backgrounds of the members of the group.

As it turns out, Allen is operatically trained. She hails from a background in piano, violin and guitar.

However, when she encountered the music of Janis Joplin and Aretha Franklin, she redefined her style toward blues and hard rock, also turning toward metal bands like Lacuna Coil and MudVayne.

Drummer Anthony Cowans cites metal influences, and guitarist Mike Robinson took seminars taught by legends like Alex Skolnick of Testament and also brings inspiration from Soundgarden and Alice in Chains to the stage. Pete Machado, who played bass in high school and college, was influenced by jazz legend Jaco Pastorius.

Each song on Bite the Apple! is unique, but it is the first two tracks that are the most distinguishable, “Beast in Me” and especially “My Shadow.” The last several tracks are not quite as catchy as these two, though “Precious Burdon” features a beautiful guitar solo by Robinson.

It is unfortunate that this solo is an exception. While the music forms a great platform for Allen's voice, it seems like these musicians really have not been given enough chances to solo and showcase their talent.

Lyrics are a high point on this EP. Again harkening to influence Lacuna Coil, Eden Falling draws together themes that are often disparate in culture – spirituality, personal relationships and the mission of creativity, uniting them through common metaphor. This too echoes the tradition of blues because Allen sings with passion, rage and vivacity.

"If I could tell the world the secrets to this life,” she sings, “Do you think they'd listen? F**k no."

That is brutally honest. That is rare. That is beautiful.

The driven approach this band has taken both in creation and in disseminating their work is inspiring.

In a short time, they have accomplished a lot, and they show tremendous promise both with their attitude and their work. You can see it when looking at all they have done to promote themselves, and you can feel it in the alert vitality of their music.

Eden Falling will be at Club Asylum March 11 and at DC9 April 18. To buy a copy of the EP, visit their website, www.edenfalling.com - Broadside Publications, GMU