"Now as the massive world tour of 2009 is over"

[RedFox742]

I hope they don't pull a Unia on us. Damn you, Sonata Arctica! :(

Incidentally, that's sort of who I was referring to in my previous post. Them and Edguy and Freedom Call. Sigh. All still good, but not as good as before.

Changing a singer is always, always a risky preposition. It can be the best thing ever, or it can completely crap out on you. For Kamelot, Iron Maiden (the first time), and Helloween (the first time), it made their careers. For Iced Earth, Maiden (the second time), and Judas Priest, it was a mistake (poor "Filler" Owens).

Sadly, Mathias is completely integral to the best Falconer sound. So live shows will be forever limited. But on the flip side, the albums are fantastic.

[Metalhead87]

Wait, wait, let me guess. The band has become bored of the power-metal style and wants to go in a progressive/hard-rock direction. The double-bass will go out the window, and so much for solos; all guitars will be heavily downtuned and the bass guitar will suddenly become oppresive. Catchy choruses are for the simple minded, so none of those--in fact, nothing that's fun to sing along with at all. Add five key changes and cut the tempos in half. There will also be at least one bizarre psychadelic minimalist section per song.

Pardon me, but yes, I have become a little annoyed lately with the best names in power metal doing major surgery on a successful style, pretty much always for the worse. I get it, I get the whole "not wanting to repeat the same album over and over," but the cumulative impact of it is starting to grate on me.

Prove me wrong, Stefan. :p

I totally agree with the statement above. Please, don't pull a Unia on us.

[AngelOfMusic]

Suddenly, the story of Chicken Little comes to mind... 

[Prab]

Suddenly, the story of Chicken Little comes to mind... 

Haven't seen that movie yet.
Could you explain? 

[AngelOfMusic]

The story of Chicken Little predates the cute animated movie.  If you know the story, you don't need an explanation.  But long story short, a few people on this thread are doing the equivalent of saying "THE SKY IS FALLING!"

[Horus-Nikopol]

a few people on this thread are doing the equivalent of saying "THE SKY IS FALLING!"

Reminds me of when Kriss cut his hair and people freeeeeeeaked out. 

[Metalhead87]

The story of Chicken Little predates the cute animated movie.  If you know the story, you don't need an explanation.  But long story short, a few people on this thread are doing the equivalent of saying "THE SKY IS FALLING!"

We're just telling our opinion. And that opinion is that Falconer shouldn't do what Sonata Arctica and Stratovarius did a few years back.

[Prab]

Well, Stefan was never the kind of guy who would subdue his creations entirely to the cravings of others. I mean, of course, he is aware of the fanbase, he knows what the Falconites want and he sure as hell wants that himself, but first and foremost, before everything else, he wants to create music that is satisfying and interesting to play for himself and his band. And if that means to break some of the rules of the hardcore fanbase, then he surely will do it because creating music just for the sake of pleasing others instead of the musician himself would be betraying oneself. Such behaviour would soon lead to negative feelings towards the music one creates. You wouldn't be able to love your songs as much as if you had put your own heart and soul into it.
Not that I know him personally or anything, but this is the way I understand it.

@Stefan
Sorry if I wrote something wrong or stupid.

[AngelOfMusic]

The story of Chicken Little predates the cute animated movie.  If you know the story, you don't need an explanation.  But long story short, a few people on this thread are doing the equivalent of saying "THE SKY IS FALLING!"

We're just telling our opinion. And that opinion is that Falconer shouldn't do what Sonata Arctica and Stratovarius did a few years back.

What you're doing is freaking out about something that hasn't even happened yet.   

If Stefan were going to change Falconer's sound suddenly, Falconer would have continued to go in the direction of Grime vs Grandeur.  They brought Mathias back because Stefan did not want to go in that direction, and to sing in the style that matched the Falconer sound Stefan wanted, he felt it necessary to have Mathias.  Which means the Falconer sound we all know and love.

If he does any changing, it will only be for the better (though I'm too short-sighted to see how Falconer can sound any better than they already do)

[Stefan W]

Well, Stefan was never the kind of guy who would subdue his creations entirely to the cravings of others. I mean, of course, he is aware of the fanbase, he knows what the Falconites want and he sure as hell wants that himself, but first and foremost, before everything else, he wants to create music that is satisfying and interesting to play for himself and his band. And if that means to break some of the rules of the hardcore fanbase, then he surely will do it because creating music just for the sake of pleasing others instead of the musician himself would be betraying oneself. Such behaviour would soon lead to negative feelings towards the music one creates. You wouldn't be able to love your songs as much as if you had put your own heart and soul into it.
Not that I know him personally or anything, but this is the way I understand it.


Wise words from the Prab, it seems like some think our sound will change completely. Something I´ve never said but trying to sound like the debut album 8 years afterwards ain't appealing either.
@Stefan
Sorry if I wrote something wrong or stupid.

[Prab]

Change is something that is only appreciated when it's used as a slogan for a presidential election :P No, just kidding, let's leave politics out of here!

I have to admit, I sometimes feel like Angel too because I'm not really sure how Falconer could really top their existing sound. But on the other hand, I sometimes fantasize about what else could possibly be done by a skilled songwriter like Stefan (and the band) and a acomplished singer like Mathias.

"Home of the Knave", you guys know the party between the verses, where Mathias does this oriental sounding "lalala" singing pattern. It's awesome! It's distinctive! So what if Falconer would put other ethnical musical influences into their music? A dangerous experiment indeed, for it could totally change the sound. But a really balanced mix of new influences and old strenghts could maybe even reforge the mighty sound of their power belts and magic rings
So that's the idea with "ethnical musical influences from other cultures" (didn't the old vikings travel all around the world by the way?! ).

Another idea I have is this whole "Dreams and Pyres" thing. I mean, that song is huge! Why not try something even bigger with more vocalists? Okay, it's really a lot of preproduction work and everybody needs to be available at the right time and so on. But what a interesting project that would be! It needn't be for a whole album, just a song. Or wait a minute... why not a whole album, just like "Scepter of Deception". Different characters/roles sung by different vocalists. Many members here have said it before, I've mentioned it too - it would be such an awesome thing, something so extremely special, if a project like that would include all the vocalists Stefan has worked with in the past. Mathias, Krisstofer, Rickard... yeah, their singing styles are very different, but still, it could perhaps work out. Wow, some "descend into madness" concept comes to my mind right now, with Mathias being the voice of the troubled but still normal character, Kriss being the same person only engulfed in a sea of madness and despair and Rickard finally being the one who unleashes all insanity :D Yeah, I'm just babbling.

Okay this is just me playing with some ideas.
Anyways, one thing's for sure: each and every single member of this board is really anticipating new material from Falconer and everybody will most definitely check it out. I totally trust in Stefans songwriting skills. This is gonna rock!

[Storm]

I think Stefan knows what he is doing, so I am not worried. As long as Mathias sings I will like it, I am sure of.

And guys, stop beating up "GvsG". That actually is a great album if you don't think of it as a Falconer album and it is still lightyears ahead of "Sceptre...". some of my all-time Falconer favouites are on that album, as "Child of the wild" i.e.

[Odin]

I second the "stop bashing GvG" - and also "Screptre..." must not be bashed.

About the over-production-idea: Be careful! BLIND GUARDIAN totally whimped out by this way. One of the greates Power/Epic Metal bands of the last decades and they just wasted it - for my mind and even many die-hard-fans - by trying the borders of Pro Tools and sound engineers (how much tracks can you handle, eh?).

Also the idea is not new. It has been here years ago: AVANTASIA.

Still, it could still be a great experience, for sure, if such a project was undertaken on the basis of FALCONER's unique style. I just wanted to point out that it's not that much over-the-top as some might think.

[AngelOfMusic]

I agree, Odin.  Sceptre sounds more like a Falconer album than GvG, because they transitioned from Mathias to Kris by still utilizing Mathias' vocals, and a very typical Falconer sound.  GvG took a more traditional metal turn, but Stefan's sound is hard to mistake, even on that album.  Sure, maybe they're not typical Falconer albums, but they can stand on their own, IMO.

And I also agree about Blind Guardian.  I hardly ever listen to A Night at the Opera because it just sounds like noise to me.  The vocals all kind of mash together.  I really like A Twist in the Myth, though.  I thought that one turned out nice.

[Jophelerx]

About the over-production-idea: Be careful! BLIND GUARDIAN totally whimped out by this way. One of the greates Power/Epic Metal bands of the last decades and they just wasted it - for my mind and even many die-hard-fans - by trying the borders of Pro Tools and sound engineers (how much tracks can you handle, eh?).

-5000
A Night at the Opera is the single greatest album known to man.