Review by JD on January 16, 2012.

Folk Metal always seems to hit me for two completely opposite reasons and yet oddly ends up going in the same direction in the end. One way it strikes me is to stir the musician in me who appreciates the music and atmosphere it creates. The prouder than hell metalhead side of me is quickly confused and somewhat put off by it. Yet Folk Metal oddly ends up intriguing me and makes me still listen to it.

Scotland based Falloch is a two man outfit that plays a sort of Progressive style Folk Metal that instantly is impressive as hell. Reminding me of such acts like Agalloch, Norway’s Extol and even Iceland’s masters Solstafir, Falloch hold this strong sense of style like no other. Weaving a blend of intense emotions of bleakness, the heavy yoke of a gravely deep sorrow with this low thundering intense metal attack into one titanic wave of sonic intensity that oozes every shred of heart they put into it.

Each track on the album seems to live and breath as if brought to light. Songs like the monumental pondering lyrics of 'We Are Gathering Dust' to the reflective horror of 'To Walk Amongst The Dead' shows off a band that are on half metallers and one part philosophers with seasonings of master musicians. Intensity tempered with haunting visions make Falloch a band for the new millennium.

Folk Metal is not always accessible for most, but I have to say that this Scottish duo has made strides for that to happen. When metal and dynamic musicianship end up mixing anything is possible and Falloch "Where The Distant Spirits Remain" is that bridge between the sub-genres and music as a whole.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship:10
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 8.5
Originality: 8.5
Overall: 9

Rating: 9.0 out of 10

Review by Adam M on August 22, 2011.

Falloch plays a brand of Atmospheric Metal that recalls the likes of Agalloch prior to their last album "Marrow Of The Spirit". It brings back memories of what made albums like "Pale Folklore" and "The Mantle" so special when they emphasized subtlety and emotion throughout the entire length of the album to create an emotional atmosphere.

"Where Distant Spirits Remain", is the new bearer of Agalloch's torch for me because it offers a wholly inspirational attempt to bring an established sound back to the forefront without forgetting about the addition of unique elements to the overall sound. Every track on this album is beautiful and haunting, but has enough drive to maintain interest. The metallic portions don’t have as much of a Black Metal influence as Agalloch’s latest and rather cruise along and grip the listener as much as the lighter acoustic ones. The atmosphere of the music also recalls the likes of Anathema during their best period around "Judgement" and "Alternative 4", which is a huge compliment. The music does have quite as many moments of pure brilliance as those albums, but there are some true high points on the release.

Take for example the track 'To Walk Amongst The Dead' which is constructed to perfection and features no moments that drag during its long running time. Elsewhere, there are great segments scattered about with slight lulls here and there. Still, if anyone has been searching for a moving Atmospheric Metal release, this is one of the stronger ones I’ve heard in quite some time. This is worthwhile material to the core.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8.5
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 8.5
Originality: 7.5
Overall: 8.5

Rating:8.4 out of 10

Review by Krys on January 6, 2005.

Why the hell would you need me to review this DVD? Isn’t over two decades of devastation, a firmly established classic status in the metal world and most importantly, the album focus of this release, Reign in Blood (undoubtedly one of the best and most influential metal albums ever), performed live in its entirety and with the original line-up not enough to pick this DVD? If not then I have nothing more to say to you, for the rest of us who already have it in our collections read the last two words of this review and move on with your lives.

Still Reigning is made up of three parts. The first section is the entire Reign in Blood release, their 28-minute benchmark album, played from start to finish and concluded by a theatrical downpour of blood during the closing track. I’ve listen to this album since 1986 and this piece still gave me chills. Amazing! Some might find a few signs of aging during the performance from our beloved quartet but over two decades of banging your head to this type of music who wouldn’t age? Don’t get me wrong here; this bunch still destroys punks 20 years younger with energy and dedication alone. Slayer by no means is just selling the performance; they relish every second of it.

The second part offers bonus material including live performances of Slayer classics such as "War Ensemble," "Hallowed Point," "Necrophiliac," "Mandatory Suicide," "Spill The Blood," and "South of Heaven.” The final section, a seventeen minute documentary called ‘Slayer in Their Own Words’ presents exclusive interviews with members of the band, their crew, fans and backstage footage. Even though this section is about past, present and future it focuses on Dave Lombardo's return to the fold and the performance of Reign in Blood, including the raining blood effect.

From technical standpoint the sound of the show is excellent and the only complaint I might have is the camera work that does not capture the full atmosphere of the show, but honestly until you see them live nothing will ever bring the excitement and full madness of their show onto the tape. If you’ve never seen this machine live do yourself a favor and jump into the pit, see if you’ll survive couple of tracks. Nothing, and I mean nothing, comes close to Slayer’s live shows and its atmosphere.

To sum it up in two words, because there’s no need to advertise this DVD any more: Metal Bible.

Rating: 10 out of 10