Alright, that’s kind of a cheap shot seeing as that I have listened to and reviewed many a quality self released album in 2009, but it seems like as of late many of the self released albums I have been getting haven’t fulfilled my expectations, to such an extent that I have been in a kind of end of the year slump because of the lack of stand out releases I have received in my mailbox (be it physical or digital) as of late. Now, I could easily go off and start reviewing big name releases, which I also like to do, but I like to focus on the little guy because of the sincere lack of coverage many DIY bands get. I have been genuinely overwhelmed by the amount of quality releases I have heard since beginning AMR, but in the last few months, there has been alot of re-hashed stuff that just doesn’t cut the mustard. That is of course, until I encountered a little EP called The Six Roots of True Will by a little band called Fallen Martyr from Washington DC. They strike me as a combination of Into Eternity, Mercenary and Fear My Thoughts, and despite definitely being a rough cut, there is a serious degree of talent in this band!

I am genuinely shocked by the lack of coverage of this band thus far. Fallen Martyr are a great example of melodic death metal combining with bits of progressive power metal to bring listeners an ultimate aggressively melodic experience. All of the bands I listed above do the same thing, but none of them are American! And really, while there are melodic bands in the U.S., there is so much room for traditional melodic metal to take place in this country, even with a death metal base like Fallen Martyr has. This the band’s latest EP, The Six Roots of True Will, is definitely self released with a production value that really flattens the greatness of the writing of the songs. With better production, and proper distribution, Fallen Martyr and their epic riffs with high melodic vocals can truly capture some magic in the States, and a DEFINITE future overseas where this type of music is much more appreciated.

Now I have to wait for a damn full length! Someone sign these dudes!

http://www.myspace.com/fallenmartyr

CODY