Rock Music Critic

	Falconer
	The Sceptre of Deception

	I am a very big fan of the first two Falconer albums. They are not your typical power metal band at all. I think their roots lie in the death metal community, so perhaps that gives them their unique sound. Anyway, I loved the first two albums, a great mix of metal with a slight folk element. Good stuff. So you can understand that when I heard Falconer had a new singer I was quite dismayed over the possibility of them now sucking. Not only that, but the new album was to be a concept album. I'm not a big fan of the concept album anymore. It was cool when I was younger, but now I've noticed that the music tends to suffer for the telling of the story. The actual result lies somewhere in a gray area in the middle. The new singer is a good singer, he fits the style, I have no complaints with his ability other than the fact that he is not the old singer. I REALLY liked the old singer. I suppose I will get over it. As for the story making the album boring, I can't really say that is a big problem either. I would prefer a non-concept album, but this could be a lot worse than it is. I think I'm being resistant to change. If I had not heard the first two Falconer albums I would be loving it, but as it stands I'm more likely to listen to the first two albums than this one. I really should give it a fair shake, and maybe I will eventually. Don't let me influence your opinion here, this really is a very good album. (Any chance the old singer might come back??)
TRACKLIST: The Coronation The Trail of Flames Under the Sword Night of Infamy Hooves Over Northland Pledge for Freedom Ravenhair The Sceptre of Deception Hear Me Pray Child of Innocence