Fallen Letters – Mindfractures
Hailing from Bangalore, India, Fallen Letters, operating under the progressive metal/rock umbrella, has used the inspiration drawn from numerous bands and styles from both America and Europe to create a cohesive, emotional, and musically substantial album. The band released its debut EP in 2024, and its new album, Mindfractures, demonstrates its maturity in this regard.
Reaching 50 minutes with 8 tracks, the album consists of somewhat more rock-based tracks that do not shy away from occasionally slowing the tempo, save for a few exuberant moments that push beyond the rarely visited extreme boundaries. A Fractured Monologue serves as a good starting point to see what the band is capable of on both sides. While powerful drums, surprising guitars, and the contrast in the vocals are the band’s initial standout elements, as the tracks progress, we begin to hear different, even unexpected things. It was truly enjoyable to listen to a PAIN OF SALVATION-esque progressive/emotional approach while listening to Submatrix, the saxophone solos in Drenched that suddenly leap forward and pull the entire track and atmosphere to another point, and the recurring riffs of Monochrome Visions transforming into something reminiscent of GOJIRA in the final section. I think they’ve taken elements from many genres and musicians they love, but the result isn’t a disjointed, messy “soup”; on the contrary, each track feels like a natural continuation of the next.
It look pretty solid on the production side either. The mixing and mastering were done by Johan Martin, a student of the renowned producer Jens Bogren, at Punch Sector Studios in Sweden. Mindfractures sounds quite powerful yet also organic.
My only criticism is that the clean-vocal, mid/low-tempo sections are perhaps a bit too numerous, leaving the high-gear, extreme parts with a taste that lingers (the closer The Farthest Window has some really cool blast-beats and harsh vocals that makes me ask for more!). Fallen Letters could have made a much bigger impact with a slightly more balanced record with higher peaks, but I believe that even as it is, this Indian band is strong enough to capture the interest of progressive rock/metal lovers. If you like the genre, I recommend giving the album a chance.
Check out Fallen Letters on BANDCAMP.
