Fallen＜Red Vinyl＞

What was touted as a rebirth of the seminal gothic troupe, the first new material from bandleader and vocalist Carl McCoy as Fields of the Nephilim in over a decade, might have been more of a marketing ploy than anything else; none of the original bandmembers aside from McCoy appear on Fallen, but more damning was the band's website, which, upon the release of the disc, insisted in no uncertain terms that they wanted nothing more to do with the name Fields of the Nephilim and accusing the disc as being an unauthorized cash-in of unreleased (and, they further claimed, unfinished) demos that were pilfered by their label. Without bearing this unique situation in mind, Fallen is a decent enough disc. It fits between early Sisters of Mercy, the crunch of Zoon, and the more gothic-flavored of the nu crew (think Godhead) -- all without seeming outdated or contrived. Considering the state of affairs, however, one doesn't know what to think, except that the band makes some high-quality demos. ~ Brian O'Neill