32 Leaves- Welcome to the Fall

On their full-length debut, Welcome to the Fall, 32 Leaves channel melody and aggression into forty-some minutes of strong riff-driven alt rock. Running through 12-tracks of fairly standard, albeit particularly solid, radio-friendly fare, the group's sound seems to be slightly rooted in A Perfect Circle and Tool. Very well produced, performed, and written, it's an indie album that's easily mistakable for a mainstream major label release.

The album's sound is fairly consistent, making it a bit difficult to talk about individual songs even though none are really sub-par. However, there are a few songs that stand out if only for their sonic or stylistic differences. "Your Lies" is particularly interesting rhythmically, a slightly lower-key offering with a predictably explosive chorus. "All is Numb", a mellower, moodier track with a lovely melody and heavier epic chorus is one of the disc's standouts. The closing "Deep Breath" is also, notably, quite stylistically different, an ethereal blend of echoing percussion, watery processed vocals, atmospheric electronics, and melodic guitar.

In the end, while few of the disc's tracks particularly stand out on their own, Welcome to the Fall is a strong and consistent album, and it's easy to imagine just about any song here achieving a fair amount of mainstream radio success if given the chance. While far more likely to appeal to fans with mainstream alternative tastes than those with underground leanings that tend to shun mainstream radio, it's nonetheless an impressive collection of songs that will likely earn the band quite a bit of deserved attention.