Fall of Serenity - Open Wide, O Hell (2024)

Delivering a swift and brutal, old-school Melodic Death Metal with some heavier touches, today we have Germany’s Fall of Serenity and their crushing “Open Wide, O Hell” release. In their first full-length release in nearly 17 years, the band shows a very interesting mixture of elements to create excellent songs to headbang and mosh from start to finish.

The release kicks-off with the leveling “Thy Pathway” and its crafty melodic riffing, there is a certain Dissection-esque vibe that immediately got our attention. Things gradually get heavier and catchier as tracks like “Darkness, I Command”, and “I Don’t Expect I Shall Return” lead with superb guitars alongside crafty drumming and very engaging tempo changes. The band’s Melodic Death Metal is definitely on the heavier side, as you won’t find many Insomnium-esque passages.

One of our favorite tracks has to be the diverse “Wastelands” and its intricate tempo changes. There are perfect moments for headbanging and others to just enjoy the interplay of John Gahlert’s vocals with the pummeling drumming of Werner Riedl. Almost getting into Black Metal-ish territories, tracks like “Chaos Reign” have that sinister vibe of the genre. With most songs between the three and four minute range, this release goes by quickly while showcasing many of the band’s dimensions at once.

As a whole, “Open Wide, O Hell” delivers a very aggressive eleven tracks that nicely balance melody and incisiveness. We particularly enjoy that while not following what everybody in the Melo Death scene is doing these days, this German band still induces plenty of headbanging with their fast paced music. If you like heavy, melodic, and quite diverse Metal, this is a release to check out.

Label: LifeForce Records

Release: March 22nd, 2024

Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Country: Germany