While Fall of the Leafe’s music seems to most often get labeled as melodic death metal or folk metal, the sound displayed on “Volvere” is many generations separated from the traditional Gothenburg sound. There are certainly passages reminiscent of older In Flames and the like, with heavy power chords beneath bright lead guitars, but that’s only one of many elements on this album. The guitar riffing style also features much more movement, for lack of a better term, than most bands, keeping a constant melodic interplay going through most of the album and rarely becoming repetitive.

Another unique element is the guitar tone itself - the lead guitar does not exclusively use the bright, dominant sound you’d expect, but often a softer, cleaner tone which blends into the rest of the instruments. The band’s frequent switches between cleaner melodic riffs and heavier sections provide a constant contrast and give the songs an unpredictable quality.

The core element of “Volvere” is the interplay between the melodic lead guitars and the unorthodox clean vocal style of frontman Tuomas Tuominen. People have compared his voice to that of James Hetfield’s vocals in earlier Metallica albums, and while that may be a bit of a stretch, the styles are similar. Tuominen mostly uses a harsher clean vocal style, allowing the vocals to provide another melodic element to complement the guitar lines while still providing some punch. Scattered growls are also mixed in, and Tuominen does a great job of keeping the vocals varied and interesting. Really the whole band seems to have a knack for keeping things sufficiently varied - riffs will often morph into one another and reappear later in the song slightly altered, or backed by a different drum beat or vocal line.

As far as the actual album goes, the songs on “Volvere” are a mix of heaver, mostly straightforward metal songs like ‘Mostly Ashes’ and less aggressive, more melodic tracks such as ‘Big Fat Ol’ Rain Inside’ or ‘More Like a Situation.’ The highlights of the album end up being songs where Fall of the Leafe finds a middle ground between these two styles, mixing heavier riffing with melodic interludes and bridges, such as in the opener, “A Waiting Room Snap” or “Pillar of the Sun.” “Volvere” is also the type of album where certain songs will jump out at you immediately, while other songs take awhile to really appreciate fully, making it a very rewarding listen.