Fall of the Leafe
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1996 in Uusikaupunki, Finland |
| Defunct | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Turku , Finland |
| Products | Studio albums, demos |
Fall of the Leafe was a metal group from Finland, originating in Uusikaupunki in 1996. Over their active years, they produced six studio albums before disbanding in 2007.
History
The band was initially established in Uusikaupunki, with most members eventually relocating to Turku. The founding lineup consisted of guitarist Jussi Hänninen, drummer Marko Hyytiä, and bassist Juha Kouhi, who began their collaboration in 1996. Shortly thereafter, guitarist Kaj Gustafsson and vocalist Jani Lindström joined the ensemble. That same year, they recorded their first demo, Storm of the Autumnfall, at Crusell Studio, followed by a second demo in 1997.
After securing a contract with Defiled Records based in Colorado, their debut album Evanescent, Everfading was laid down over five days at Tico-Tico Studios in 1997 with producer Ahti Kortelainen. However, its release was postponed until 1998 due to financial complications. Following the recording sessions, keyboardist Petri Hannuniemi became part of the band, and vocalist Lindström was succeeded by Tuomas Tuominen. The group encountered several challenges including the destruction of their rehearsal space by fire and multiple lineup changes—Gustafsson departed and was temporarily replaced by Mika Rostedt and Pasi Bunda before Taneli Hatakka took over.
Towards the end of 1998, they produced a three-track demo that caught the attention of Argentinian label Icarus Music. After Kouhi left the band, they signed a two-album agreement with Icarus in 1999. Recording sessions at Mika Haapasalo's Popstudio resulted in August Wernicke, which faced a seven-month delay before its release that year. The band witnessed further personnel changes with bassists Petri Santala, Pasi Bunda, and Kouhi alternating roles; Rostedt exited while Gustafsson made a return.
In January 2001, another recording took place at Popstudio for the album Fermina, which was mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios and released in January 2002. Drummer Marko Hyytiä left in April of that year and was replaced by Matias Aaltonen. After concluding their relationship with Icarus Music, the band signed with Rage of Achilles. Between September and October 2003, they recorded Volvere at Popstudio; it was released in May 2004 with Hänninen handling bass duties following Kouhi’s second departure. Keyboardist Hannuniemi left after these sessions. That year, the band resumed live performances across roughly twelve venues.
Following the shutdown of Rage of Achilles, Fall of the Leafe inked a deal with Firebox Records in September 2004. The album Volvere was reissued featuring additional content. To facilitate rehearsals, members moved to Turku; Miska Lehtivuori joined as bassist.
The recording process for Vantage commenced during spring 2005 at Popstudio over multiple sessions. Released later that year through Firebox Records, it marked the return of Hannuniemi on keyboards. Their final studio effort, Aerolithe, came out in 2007 and was mastered by Svante Forsbäck at Chartmakers Studio in Helsinki. Shortly after its release, on August 20, 2007, Tuomas Tuominen announced the dissolution of the band, which played their last show on September 14.
Musical style
According to Martin Popoff, Evanescent, Everfading merges gothic and black metal elements with progressive rock influences to create an epic soundscape. Vocals are characterized by a repetitive "barking" delivery while keyboards often take a backseat to percussion. The album also incorporates Viking metal aspects reminiscent of bands like Týr and Battlelore. For Volvere, Popoff situated the record stylistically between commercially oriented acts such as Paradise Lost, mid-tempo commercial Metallica, Sentenced, and Dream Theater. Vocal styles shift between gothic-new-wave clarity and rock growls, blending folk metal features within a heavy metal context. The overall sound draws from influences including Finntroll, Evergrey, and Katatonia, with progressive touches alongside hints of Therapy?, Midnight Oil, and New Model Army. This results in groove-laden, riff-centric dark stadium rock. Critic Wolf-Rüdiger Mühlmann from Rock Hard classified Volvere as gothic metal but criticized it for imitating Sentenced and emulating the vocal style and "pseudo-gothic" aesthetic associated with HIM.
Final lineup
- Tuomas Tuominen – lead vocals
- Jussi Hänninen – guitar
- Kaj Gustafsson – guitar
- Petri Hannuniemi – keyboards
- Miska Lehtivuori – bass guitar
- Matias Aaltonen – drums
Previous members
- Juha Kouhi – bass guitar
- Marko Hyytiä – drums
- Jani Lindström – lead vocals
- Mika Rostedt – guitar
- Pasi Bunda – guitar, later switched to bass
- Taneli Hatakka – guitar
- Petri Santala – bass guitar
Studio albums
- 1998: Evanescent, Everfading (Defiled Records)
- 1999: August Wernicke (Icarus Music)
- 2002: Fermina (Icarus Music)
- 2004: Volvere (Rage of Achilles)
- 2005: Vantage (Firebox Records)
- 2007: Aerolithe (Firebox Records)
Other releases
- 1996: Storm of the Autumnfall (demo, independently released)
- 1997: Promo 1997 (demo, independently released)
- 1998: Enchanting Part II (split release with Flauros, Kyprian's Circle, Withered Garden, Obsession, Arthame; Shades of Autumn Records)
- 1999: Promo 1999 (demo, independently released)