Reviews list for Prayer for Cleansing - The Rain in Endless Fall (1999)

I was quite burnt out with Between the Buried and Me (the band 3 of the Prayer for Cleansing members would form) for around a year, but I might feel up to returning to that band someday. I've regained a bit of confidence listening to this short-lived pre-BTBAM band that would also inspire death metal elements in metalcore!

Prayer for Cleansing is obviously not the first ever metalcore band, but they would help in developing metalcore's deathly side, with brutal growls of anger and sorrow, and fast heaviness in the music. A lot of hardcore/metalcore now has more association with the aspects of this band's sound. So if you're looking for the band that started the ongoing Gothenburg-inspired metalcore trend, the answer is right here.

"A Dozen Black Roses" starts with the sound of falling rain and thunder before the neo-classical-ish intro fades in. Then it all collapses as a deep voice mutters, "So begins the dawn of our invincibility..." Then the metalcore battalion charges into war in "Feinbhas a Ghabhail", which is a great highlight, though my only complaint is the clean vocals that sound weak but don't affect the rest of the song. There's a breakdown at the end that adds variation to the style and tempo without being overused. "Winter's Gloom" is a piano interlude. Another favorite "A Dead Soul Born" attacks with fantastic black-metalcore that makes you forget that some of these guys are from BTBAM.

An example of metalcore going crazy as sh*t with their extreme influences is "Sonnet" with its high-range intro and open breakdowns. That breakdown appears again near the end before an outro with almost the same cadence as the album's intro. "Violent Waves" has violent heaviness. Same with "Destiny of Culture", though starting melodic.

"Chalice of Repentance" sounds absolutely devastating, enough to make sure any sinners repent. "Bael Na Mblath" begins by alternating between fast blast beats and slow acoustics. Some parts get a bit sludgy, especially in the second half, before speeding up one last time. Finally, the album ends with "Sleep Eternal". It starts to rain again, and all you hear is a soft beautiful acoustic outro that could fit well in an Opeth album at that time.

Rain in Endless Fall is pretty much the roots of not only Between the Buried and Me but also the majority of mixing melodic metalcore with extreme influences. Get this album any way you can, whether buying or downloading. There's barely a single thing to make you disappointed!

Favorites: "Feinbhas a Ghabhail", "A Dead Soul Born", "Sonnet", "Chalice of Repentance", "Bael Na Mblath"