Album Review: After The Fall - '[In] Exile'

23 September 2009 | 4:02 pm | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

Studio album number three from local Aussie rockers.

More After The Fall More After The Fall

Local music stalwarts After the Fall have the will, they have the passion but on album number three, they do not appear to have the lasting prowess. 

 

[In] Exile might just be the most apt or rather prophetic title for the New South Wales quartet’s third studio album. It is not bland but there is no endearing punch either. 

 

Adopting the atmospheric approach of a Muse, After the Fall labours through thirteen tracks of radio friendly rock that is consistent albeit a little bit mundane. In the five years since the band originated, groups such as Kisschasy and Gyroscope have continued the mainstream rock success After the Fall help create for local artists. The irony however, is that the aforementioned band’s have achieved a level that After the Fall does not seem to be able to match.  

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Signed to prominent label Roadrunner Records, the album is solid in spits and spurts. Opener ‘Digital Age’ is assertive with its pop-rock guitar riffs and mid-tempo rhythm lines. The problem is that the album does not get out of third gear – it just sticks to the same tempo and musical range. After the first four or five songs, there is a prevailing feeling that you have heard everything the album has to offer. 

 

There is nothing here that makes you want to crank up the stereo, tap your feet or bang your head. It should be stressed that it is not all doom and gloom, the album is still worth a listen. Ultimately, though, it just does not seem to stack up against similar efforts from local musical peers. 

 

After the Fall needs to re-capture the youthful and raw dynamic they possessed in their formative years. [In] Exile is a decent release in many respects, but after five years, it is time to lift the game.

  1. Digital Age
  2. Scotland Yard
  3. Desire
  4. Break Me
  5. In the End
  6. Born
  7. A Feather A Float
  8. The Big Exit
  9. Lullaby
  10. Pressure
  11. 1969
  12. All Together Now
  13. Home