Band Biographies: The Fallen Prophets

There is no rest for the wicked, and even the lockdown in South Africa has not stopped The Fallen Prophets from crafting two releases. While Relentless Killing Motivation followed the band’s established path of brutal death metal, this EP - entitled No End In Sight - has taken the band to a new level of composition, interweaving new styles and influences for a fresh take on extreme metal. 

This inclusion of new styles makes for intriguing listening - opener “Dead But Still Alive” blends black metal melodies into a Benighted or Aborted-style, while “The Beast” brings latter-day Black Dahlia Murder into the fold. And no EP based lyrically around an entity bound and cursed to destroy all life forms would be complete without some film samples, a collage of which is used to great effect on “Believe”. 

The EP is also stacked with guest solos, each an attempt to outdo the others in intensity and technicality. Kriss Xen of compatriots Vulvodynia leads the charge on single “Dead But Still Alive”, though each solo, whether from local acts or international legends (such as Ivan Meathook of Blood Red Throne), is ridiculous in its own fashion. 

That’s not to say that the band themselves cut the guests any slack - drummer Dylan Haupt puts his kit through black metal-intensity paces, while the axemen lay down groove after groove, with one highlight on the title track. Vocalist Pieter Pieterse is a dead ringer for Sven de Caluwé and Julien Truchan at times, and at others pushes through his own unique screams, grunts, and growls. 

In all, No End In Sight is an exceptional and exciting development in The Fallen Prophets’ camp. Fans of extreme metal in the vein of Cattle Decapitation, Benighted, and Aborted will get a lot of spins from this. 

The album will be released on December 11th