If you are reading this review, I’m going to assume you know this history behind this veteran Louisiana brother act. If you don’t, here is the cliff notes version:

Two brothers from Louisiana form a band called Incubus and band release two pretty influential releases in Serpent Temptation (1988) and Beyond the Unknown ( 1990) that are considered minor classics, then split up for a while and when they reform they decide to change their name to Opprobrium. Those two albums get reissued and even rerecorded a few times under both monikers over the years (one of which was reviewed here by brother Frank Rini), and under this moniker the band releases a couple of less famous albums; Discerning Forces in 2000 and Mandatory Evac in 2008, (I have heard neither) then they are done for a bit.

Fast forward to 2019 the brothers Howard (Moyses and Francis) are back at it with The Fallen Entities. Now, I have to make a bit of a confession, I own the Nuclear Blast, 2000 dual reissue of Serpent Temptation/Beyond the Unknown, but quite honestly, despite multiple listens, don’t hear anything legendary or classic, just some solid lats 80s early 90s death thrash metal. Heresy I know.  So I went into this not expecting that much, however The Fallen Entities ended up being pretty solid.

Not much has changed. The sound is rooted in an early form of basic Death and Sepultura ish thrash metal,  and personally I hear a bit of not sucky era Massacre , especially in Francis Howard’s Kam Lee ish shouts. It’s all very solid, old school, simple stuff that requires little effort to listen to or enjoy. The production is clean and meaty, befitting the thrash/death metal mix and the song writing is mid paced to fast paced with little intellectual challenge but high head bang-a tivity.

There’s no filler in these 8 songs. From energetic opener  “Dark Days, Dark Times” through mid paced march of the title track and my personal favorites, the 7+ minute “Throughou the Centuries” and “Turmoil Under the Sun”  , there’s a simple old school delivery and honesty thats hard to fake. I mean the thrashy little melodic jaunt in “Turmoil Under the Sun” is a pure joy and gritty “In Danger”, recalling Torture’s Storm Alert, is pure old school, but its effortless.

In all a solid effort from a truly veteran act that can do this stuff in tier sleep, sure it wont be on many year end lists, but it adds a solid release to a solid legacy and more importantly wont hurt it.

[Visit the band's website]

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