Liberated Magazine

Prog death-metal outfit FALLUJAH expand horizons and solidify their position as one of America’s most exciting artists on their new album, Xenotaph, through Nuclear Blast. The Bay Area-based quintet’s confidence in the lineup that made their previous album, Empyrean (2022), such a resounding success—earning high marks from Metal Injection, New Noise, and Guitar World—has been reconfigured slightly, with guitarist Sam Mooradian (INHALE EXISTENCE, SAM MOORADIAN) and drummer Kevin Alexander (DISEMBODIED TYRANT. BROUGHT BY PAIN) bringing their jaw-dropping musical proficiency to the fold, as vocalist Kyle Schaefer, guitarist Scott Carstairs, and bassist Evan Brewer enter a new chapter with FALLUJAH. Moored by singles ‘Kaleidoscopic Waves,’ ‘Labyrinth of Stone,’ and ‘Step Through the Portal and Breathe,’ Xenotaph is FALLUJAH personified, reinvigorated, and re-imagined.

Carstairs says:

“Having numerous self-sufficient writers in the band who all agreed on a shared vision allowed us to work as a team to make sure every song was intense, detailed, and dynamic but not overbearing in any aspect, at least to our tastes. We spent many hours trying out different arrangements and had a goal from the beginning to keep the song structures fast-paced and dense with tons of different parts in each song.  We also tried to push the music in a simultaneously more melodic and more technical/progressive direction—even crazier riffs and solos balanced out by atmospheric moments and more prominent clean vocal hooks.”

As a details-oriented record Xenotaph benefits from moments of low tension, atmospheric delight, and Schaefer’s winged clean vocals. This dynamic isn’t particularly new to Fallujah, but the group spent considerable time honing what each song needed—from blast-laden speed runs and jazz-fusion solos to vocal restraint and brutality—which resulted in a brighter, more exhilarating experience. Musically, it truly feels like the listener is embroiled in the album’s sci-fi concept and Peter Mohrbacher’s stunning cosmogonic cover art, which is aesthetically in line with his previous covers (Dreamless and Empyrean) for FALLUJAH. Close encounters with ‘Step Through the Portal and Breathe’, ‘Labyrinth of Stone,’ and ‘Kaleidoscopic Waves’ spark wonder and stimulate the soul.

Schaefer recalls:

“‘Kaleidoscopic Waves’ was the first song we began working on. The song changed a lot before it ended up in its current form. ‘In Stars We Drown’ came together the most quickly, and was the first song I wrote vocals for. The last song we completed together was the title track ‘Xenotaph,’ which was also the most collaborative song with a good balance of everyone’s ideas and contributions. We spent a lot of time going back and forth on what the singles should be, and even though ‘Kaleidoscopic Waves’ might seem like the obvious choice due to length and structure, we actually weren’t planning on releasing it as a single at all for the vast majority of this process. It’s brighter and more upbeat than most of the other songs, and we were originally planning to debut the record with something darker, heavier and more ‘Fallujah-y.’ In the end, we decided to lead with ‘Kaleidoscopic’ and then trust the subsequent singles to give people an idea of the full range of what to expect.”

For Xenotaph, Schaefer was influenced by Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune novel, as well as other Dune stories and theatricals, as well as impressions from Mohrbacher’s cover art, illustrated for his The Watcher’s series. From there, FALLUJAH’s frontman went into “a pretty psychedelic & complicated sci-fi story.” Each song on Xenotaph represents a chapter or section of the whole, starting with ‘Kaleidoscopic Waves,’ a tale of the main protagonist in a post-death wake state meeting the ‘guide,’ who may be angelic in appearance but is intently malevolent. Wrought with twists and turns, Schaefer’s per-song arc engrosses and enthralls. 

Schaefer says:

“I wanted everything to feel very sci-fi and abstract rather than resembling any traditional human ideas of heaven or hell. This ‘guide’ accompanies the narrator on a journey through incomprehensible new worlds as well as the inner working of their own psyche and memories, leading the narrator to develop a profound sense of enlightenment and attachment to this new plane of existence. The twist that comes later, though, is the realization that this character isn’t dead, that the entire experience has been a lie, and that the angelic guide is really more like a parasite inside the character’s mind, trying to trap and deceive them into surrendering their soul instead of waking up from this dreamlike state.”

Xenotaph was produced by FALLUJAH, engineered by Dave Otero (CATTLE DECAPITATION, ARCHSPIRE) and Mike Low (VITRIOL, ABORTED) at Flatline Audio in Denver, Colorado and Top Track Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Otero also mixed and mastered Xenotaph. The main goal was elevation, building upon yet soaring upward from Empyrean, one of the group’s strongest productions to date. The team focused the separation of FALLUJAH’s breakneck pace, meticulous songcraft, euphonious leads, and unrivaled intensity, creating an experience pulls the listener into Xenotaph’s high-caliber music and concept. ‘Kaleidoscopic Waves,’ ‘Labyrinth of Stone,’ ‘Step Through the Portal and Breathe,’ and ‘The Obsidian Architect’ engage instantly—their depth and oh-wow moments offer endless replay power.

Schaefer reveals:

“The recording process ended up overlapping with the writing and demoing process to some degree. Generally, tracking occurred from roughly January-April 2024.  We spent about two-three days with Dave at his studio in Denver in mid-April. Most of our parts were recorded individually at home, including all guitars, vocals and bass. Drums were tracked with our friend/Dave’s assistant Mike Low here in Nashville, and then mixed and mastered remotely by Dave.”

Beyond releasing Xenotaph to an anticipating fanbase, FALLUJAH take aim at the road, drawing upon the success of their Empyrean runs. Indeed, attendees to the group’s live performances have witnessed some of Xenotaph’s songs already, namely the shimmery prog-bounce and inner world horror of ‘The Obsidian Architect.’ FALLUJAH are in a perpetual state of evolution, and Xenotaph demonstrates the group’s hard-won, if profound journey. For there is no reverse—only forward progress, and the path ahead is illuminating before them. Step through the portal if you dare…

Schaefer says:

“Hopefully fans will be surprised and excited by some of the new directions we’re pushing in.“They will also still recognize the core elements they’ve grown to love in the past. There are some moments where we wanted the music to feel completely new and even out of character for us, and then other moments where we wanted to lean into what we already know the band can do well. It’s all about keeping things dynamic and exciting, while hopefully still feeling like a fully cohesive piece of work held together by the lyrics and storyline. We’d love for this music to eventually impact our fans in the way our favorite music has impacted us.”

Kyle Schaefer | Vocals, Programming
Scott Carstairs | Guitars
Sam Mooradian | Guitar
Evan Brewer | Bass
Kevin Alexander | Drums

Track Listing:

• In Stars We Drown
• Kaleidoscopic Waves
• Labyrinth of Stone
• The Crystalline Veil
• Step Through the Portal and Breathe
• A Parasitic Dream
• The Obsidian Architect
• Cenotaph

ALBUM REVIEW:

Written and edited by Brandon Castaneda & Nicholas Seymour

If Empyrean put Fallujah on the map, Xenotaph solidifies  them as one of the greats of their genre. Empyrean signified a momentous change in lineup for the band. As with any lineup change there’s always a bit of uncertainty, but this transition went seamlessly. With the introduction of Sam Mooradian (guitar) and Kevin Alexander (drums) appearing to be the final pieces to help the band hone in on what exactly makes them special. Xenotaph isn’t just a great jam, it’s an experience best had with headphones with your eyes closed track by track. It’s a journey the band takes you on flowing like a strong current beginning to end, with omniscient lyrics that bring to the imagination ancient motifs of gods of death and rebirth, with instrumentals that make you question if you should be hearing this In an opera house to get the full effect. A true concept album from top to bottom, I could see it making them a household name in the progressive technical metal scene, undoubtedly standing them proudly next to bands like The Contortionist, The Faceless, and Rivers of Nihil. 

In Stars We Drown – Drown is about as perfect of an intro you could get, something that summarizes what you’re about to get yourself into with this whole album. Beginning your journey with what feels like a dream scape, a piano accompanied with Kyle Schafer’s vocals lifting you up into a truly different world with lyrics that fit the bill perfectly. Only to be opened up with a spiraling cascade of technical guitar pushing you through the final door and with the lyrics “pulling up the the anchor which had tethered me down,” closing out the song. The flood gates have been opened.

Kaleidoscopic Waves – Kaleidoscopic waves showcases the band’s ability to write what you could say is a concept album. As the second track starts you begin to realize you’re not just listening to an album, you’re being pulled into someone’s otherworldly death experience.  The song truly does hit you in waves, Schaefer gives you the experience of being picked apart atom by atom, as you begin to remember past lives and dissolve back into the universe. I continue to be surprised at the way Kyle is able to verbally paint a picture of what I have only seen in animated videos, until now I didn’t realize there was a way to put it into words. The instrumentals only further engulf you in the experience, Kevin’s drums feel like they are literally standing behind the rest of the band forcing them forward like an engine. And finally we get to see the true potential of the new lineup as Sam and Scott begin to almost pass the melodies back and forth as though speaking to each other through the guitars. Wave after wave of driving technical blast beats hit you, followed by floating melodies to let you catch your breath.

Labyrinth of Stone – As we’ve been on this experience we’ve seen just what the band is capable of and where this is going, but we are reminded slightly of where the bands roots are held with Labyrinth of Stone. It feels like a return to heavy palm muting and heavy technical riffs with the rhythms to match. Like an electrical current from your feet and moving up through your body. It starts hitting hard and forward. Then suspends you in mid air with what is starting to feel like a very welcomed signature dynamic change with floating guitars and clean vocals that create a sound like a choir that I would want to hear in a cathedral rather than a metal venue, but then we are crushed back to the ground with Scott and Sams dizzying heavy riffs reminding me that I should probably keep my arms up or I’ll be met with an elbow to the face.

The Crystalline Veil – The album starts to take on that of something like a mushroom trip surges of energy like the air around you is breathing through you. Just when you think you have a break from the crushing dizziness of Labyrinth, Crystaline Veil rolls in with a smooth piano, but then lands with guitar and drums that are akin to something like Mick Gordon on a doom soundtrack, hitting hard but with enough break up to let you take in every transition. This song struck me with the lyrics. This is where I truly started to understand how well Kyle can really encapsulate a visual, emotional, maybe even ethereal experience with words. The contrast between the heavy instrumentals and beautiful lyrics is something that will definitely catch you off guard, and have you listening over and over again to make sure you really heard everything you were supposed to.

Step Through the Portal and Breathe– It’s easy to see why the band chose this song as a single for the album, every person in the band gets a piece in this track. Hitting harder and with almost every ounce of the bands full forced creativity packed into one song. Echoing vocals driven across sound morphing soundscapes, a waterfall of guitars, cut in half  by Evan Brewer (bass) and Kevin Alexander (drums) delivering what I can say is the best rhythm duet that I’ve heard in the genre, and one of the best I’ve heard in a band period. The song is pulled back together with the energy of an orchestra like the swell of a coming wave, and then with that pulse you are crushed beneath the weight of an  explosive guitar solo that swings you back and forth like a pendulum. As a guitar player I can say this song is the Q-Tip scratching the inside of my ear. 

The Obsidian Artifact – This penultimate track is uniquely dark and synthy. This is one of the more refreshing tracks of the album, with some interesting new touches. You can tell they decided to experiment with some new things here and it worked strongly in their favor.

Xenotaph – A testament to Fallujah remaining as one of the greats of this genre for the foreseeable future. With one of the most prevalent outros in recent recollection. They ease you out the album in similar fashion they introduced you with. With vocals droning in a haunting fashion that’s reminiscent of a sacred organ, this masterpiece comes to an end.

Rating: 9.5/10

Schaefer shared:

“Fallujah’s new album “Xenotaph” is out today. It’s the best thing I’ve ever been a part of. I was given a LOT of creative control with this record, and while Empyrean was my first release with the band, Xenotaph feels like the first one that’s truly mine.

I deliberately pushed myself to my limits as a vocalist & lyricist with these songs, and opted to refrain from having any guest features or external contributions in order to share the purest expression of my own self and show the world what I can do. It’s also my first proper concept album, with a complex story of enlightenment & betrayal in an imaginary post-death world that I’ll talk more about later on.

Xenotaph is essentially a love letter to the timeless progressive death metal albums which inspired us to dedicate our lives to music in the first place. Huge shoutouts to Scott Carstairs, Sam Mooradian, Kevin Alexander and Evan Brewer for making this the best Fallujah album yet, and to Dave Otero, Mike Low, Malcolm Pugh, Nuclear Blast and everyone else who has helped us present it to the world.

Thank you to everybody who has been listening!! The reception so far has been amazing. I hope you’ll find enough details to warrant repeated listens for years to come.”