Track By Tracks: Fallstaf - Ode To The Dead (2025)

About The Album:

Dark stories on a groovy, brass, and heavy note.

Track By Track:

SUNLESS FRIDAY tells the story of my accident that happened on a Friday afternoon. The music reflects this cold gray day well, especially with the beginning and the trombone that screams.

ODE TO THE DEAD is a tribute to the deceased; they are no longer physically here, but they are always in our thoughts, which is the reason for the phrase “they walk among us”. The riff of the chorus gave rise to the rest of the song.

BATTERED SOUL talks about a guy who committed suicide, the pain of living, abandonment, depression, and indifference. The song was much faster before going into the studio, but it still had the ending in decrescendo; we wanted a heavier song with more sludge metal sounds.

KINGS OF THE WEST SIDE, we’re from the southwest of Montreal, where there have been several clan wars, the Irish mafia, the Italian mafia, the French-Canadian mafia, and the bikers. It's a song about organized crime and allegiance to a gang. The music comes from an old song that was never recorded.

UNDER THE SAME SKY talks about the world we live in, about the people, the conflicts in all countries, and the leaders. The world is vast, but there is only one sky. For the music, we started with the chorus; we wanted a sludge metal chorus. I am a big fan of Corrosion Of Conformity and Pepper Keenan's style. In the verses, I wanted a higher voice.

BASTARD SON is about a man who walked in the footsteps of his father, who was a hitman, and talks to his own son about not following in his footsteps. SIMM composed this riff (gallop) that fit perfectly with the song's theme. We added gang vocals on top, then we wanted a more thrash metal chorus.

THE BURDEN talks about the burden of cancer, which affects all aspects of life. I lost my parents to cancer, and group members have also lost loved ones to this disease. We have all experienced the ups and downs, the treatments, the hopes, and the relapses. I saw my father suffer; for him and for us, dying was a release. It's an oppressive, dark music, with a bridge that surprises with its speed, and a melancholic, melodic ending that signifies the release from suffering.