Falling Together is the fourth full-length studio album by the Salt Lake City, Utah-based progressive metal and progressive rock band Advent Horizon. The album serves as the highly anticipated follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2023 record, A Cell To Call Home. An album that caught my attention back then, but unfortunately I was never able to listen to for various reasons. And that is certainly a shame, because in hindsight, it turns out just how amazing the album sounds after having heard it later. To ensure that this wouldn't happen to me a second time with the release of the new album, I have now done everything I could to listen to this album multiple times. And I certainly don't regret it, because it is an outstanding album in the aforementioned musical genre. I will tell you why. But before I get to that, I would first like to introduce you to the current lineup of the band. They are Rylee McDonald (vocals, guitars, keys, percussion), Mike Lofgreen (drums, percussion, screams),Cason Wood (bass, fretless bass, synthesizers, electric and acoustic pianos, organs, hand claps, Grant Matheson (vocals, keys, guitars) and last but not least Kristen McDonald (vocals). On the new album they got some help from the following guests: Zach Boorman (guitars, pianos, synthesizers, backing vocals, percussion), Doug Robinson (guitar on In A Lone And Dreary World), Cressa McDonald (backing vocals on Animals) and Griffin McDonald ( backing vocals on Animals). Lyrically and conceptually, it is deeply introspective, examining frontman Rylee McDonald's journey of deconstructing his rigid religious upbringing and evaluating carefully shaped cultural biases. The concept behind the title explores holding your beliefs under a microscope to determine if they are truly your own or implanted by others during impressionable childhood years. Rather than aiming to tear down religion, McDonald describes the project as an invitation for listeners to look outside the societal and ideological bubbles they were born into. Rylee McDonald's deeply personal re-examination of his upbringing in the LDS (Mormon) Church, navigating faith, and moving away from organized religion without becoming vindictive. Okay, let's now move on to the musical part, which is ultimately what it's all about. Prepare yourself for nearly 50 minutes of the best the band has released to date. What you hear is a powerful blend of heavy progressive metal guitar work, intricate synthesizer parts, lush vocal harmonies, and occasional acoustic interludes. The band balances the seven tracks between aggressive musical technicality with highly melodic, emotionally complex clean vocals. And don't expect to start off quietly. No, they pull out all the stops right away with the ultimate 19-minute epic In A Lone And Dreary World. A so-called metal/prog monster that knows no musical boundaries. The song is a mix of metal and prog influences where heavy electric guitar parts and sensitive acoustic guitar parts go hand in hand. Hard, brutal grunts alternate with sensitive, clear vocal parts. Sometimes multi-layered and sometimes sung by a single person. Sometimes male and sometimes female vocalists. But all beautifully delivered. Just like the lovely solos on guitar and synthesizer. Simply music to dream away to, but also music that suddenly shakes you awake. It is all there, and words may fall short in presenting this amazing song to you. So just listen, and especially with your headphones on to hear all the musical details. Enjoy! Don't think for a moment that the beautiful songs are over after that. No, the musicians simply pick up where they left off, catering to the listeners' every whim with beautiful music. The six songs that follow are just as beautiful and must be listened to with the same intensity. The first song you hear next is Faiths Window. A bit of a mini version of the opening track. Here too, heavy and sensitive sections alternate. Beautiful vocals push the band in a very melodic direction. But alongside that, there is also the raw grunt that showcases the band's metal side. Nevertheless, a beautiful song in general. Just like its successor, Patience, which is based on the same musical concept, with melodic parts hand in hand with powerful guitar parts. But also featuring a beautiful synthesizer solo and, of course, the heavenly vocals that I can never get enough of. The following, Past Life Parable, is also a very strong track that starts very powerfully but then immediately shows why this music is so beautiful. Strong vocals alongside strong instrumental parts. Sometimes slow, and then shifting into high gear. It is all there again. Then comes the two-part Gravity. First, the beautiful first part, which is entirely instrumental. Starting on the acoustic guitar before the electric guitars take over. Simply beautiful. Part two flows seamlessly but once again features very beautiful vocal parts alongside fantastic instrumental interludes on the keyboards and guitars. For the closing track, Animals, the tempo slows down a bit again, and we essentially arrive at a sensitive ballad that serves as the final word to this strong album. Acoustic guitars, atmospheric keyboards, and beautiful, sensitive vocals ensure the album ends in a magnificent way. There is nothing more I ask for. It is all present in this beautiful final chord. For the beautiful, emotional guitar solo that lets you dream away is present here as well, just as you might ultimately expect. Of course, it is important to mention the names of acts that may have influenced them to create all this beauty. Readers of reviews always want to see names of bands with which the music on an album can be compared. Sometimes that is not easy, because a band has developed its own musical identity over time. And this is also the case with Advent Horizon. Nevertheless, there are points of contact with bands from the same musical genre. Here, I am thinking primarily of bands like Rush, Haken, Dream Theater, Spock's Beard, and IZZ. But as mentioned earlier, it is sometimes difficult to compare a band with other bands. Of course, some attention must also be paid to the beautiful cover design by Travis Smith. For it was ultimately this cover that drew me to this music. Perhaps a less attractive design would have led to little or no attention for this exceptionally beautiful album. As you can gather from the above, I am very impressed by what Advent Horizon presents on Falling Together. You should know that my jaw dropped multiple times while listening to this beautiful album, which consists solely of outstanding songs with instrumental parts of a very high standard. Or sometimes I would drift away in a dreamlike state when there was a very melodic musical section in one of the tracks. As I mentioned earlier, sometimes there aren't enough words to describe what a band delivers on an album. And this is clearly the case with Falling Together. I can only say that I recommend everyone to give this album a listen. You won't regret it, just as I didn't. Especially those who enjoy the music of acts like Rush, Haken, Dream Theater, Spock's Beard, and IZZ will enjoy this album. One thing is certain for me: this belongs among the best of the best released so far in 2026 and will definitely appear on my end-of-year list. Hopefully on yours too, because this album most certainly deserves it! Sometimes it doesn't get any better than this!!! ****+ Henri Strik Where to buy? |
