The UK’s Fall of Efrafa made its debut in 2006 with Owsla which was actually the ending of a story about the rise and fall of civilizations, inspired by Richard Adams’ Watership Down and the bands own atheist and vegan beliefs. The debut was followed by Elil in 2007 which was another chapter of the story and now, this year sees the final part of the trilogy come out.

The band has finally completed its Warren of Snares trilogy and the more I listen to this band, the more it feels like the completion is a double edged sword. On one hand these three albums make for a most impressive document in the whole post metal scene. On the other, the band has been saying they will break up at the completion of the trilogy and it looks like it’s going to happen.

The band melds a variety of genres into their sound. While Neurosis might be a chief influence Fall of Efrafa is generally more melodic, more melancholic and not as dark and oppressive. Imagine A Sun that Never Sets but with more melody and a sense of melancholy that could rival the best that Euro doom has to offer with bits of ambient black metal and some occasional latter day Earth rumblings and you’ll come close to what Fall of Efrafa’s music is like.

The songs invariably last for well over ten minutes (which in comparison to the last album's 20 minute songs is not that long) and this is not music for people with short attention spans. While the band’s earlier work included touches of crust and hardcore, Inle is one long and rewarding ride into the whole post metal world. The music has as much in common with Godspeed! You Black Emperor now as it does with Neurosis. Mentioning individual songs is pointless because this album needs to be heard as a whole from beginning to end. What actually makes Inle the best album by the band so far is I think they’re mastery of putting together these long ambient stretches of music with some very cool melodies and heavy pounding sections that basically sound like slowed down hardcore riffs. The combination works superbly right through the album and it’s a potent sound when mixed in with the occasional ambient black metal style riffing and even the clean ambient style of latter day Earth.

To discuss the three album concept would probably need an article of its own but the lyrics are the usual heavy fare that I’ve come to expect from this band and move the story along nicely. For people who have been following the concept, the band manages to wrap things up nicely here and the beginning of the cycle fills in all the blanks.
I can’t really find a fault of with this album. The previous two albums both had moments where my interest would wane and the music would settle into the background till the next awesome part but on Inle, the band has just completely captivated me and it’s all awesome from beginning to end.

Fall of Efrafa has been a well kept secret for too long and they will shortly cease to exist. Check them out already because if you like anything at all about this whole “post” scene then chances are, you’ll love this band. This is powerful, memorable music that just deserves a lot more attention.

Label - Sound Devastation Records

Year of Release - 2009