When a pleasure trip becomes a descent into Hell, when you’re howling horrified as the bodies wash ashore slashed of their identity, and when you’ve been warned not to go out at night… yet still decide to take off Helsinki, Finland-based heavy/doom metal trio CARDINALS FOLLY were likely watching, grinning and readied for the macabre terror ahead in gathering inspiration for this brain-worming seventh full-length album. In the process of taking more direct heavy metal stance the band’s efforts on ‘Let the Posers Fall!‘ emphasize their narrative streak while holding the riff as equal main event, making for one of the most rousing and hard-flung efforts from ’em to date. Their work here reinforces their station as one of the most consistent, well characterized traditional doom metal inspired bands around today.

Though they embody the perceived sonic ideal of Finnish traditional doom metal revivalism and its post-millennial popularity Cardinals Folly have offered an idiosyncratic sonic personality of their own since forming circa 2007, or, technically as The Coven in 2004. Since I’ve detailed the band’s discography with some depth in review of their last several releases I’d point to my review of their sixth LP (‘Live By the Sword‘, 2023), a release which’d experimented with a broadest yet ouevre. Expect a blur of cult 80’s doom, a few daring hits of extremity and personage entrenched in obscure horror/giallo, occultism and their own brain-rippling heavy metal attitude on the slow walk through the band’s discography.

It’d make sense to emphasize both horror cinema and the aforementioned ‘tude as key drivers for the inspired portal opened within ‘Let the Posers Fall!‘ but as a longtime fan these are a given under the Cardinals Folly umbrella. Instead the addition of new guitarist Cosmic Doom (Pohjoinen, ex-Spiralism) alongside a further shift toward mid-paced heavy metal craft collectively signal room for something new to evolve from their always consistent action. The roughneck riff-and-twist of opener “Hitch-Hike” is the proof here up front, featuring some of the heavier-galloping trounce from the band to date as it cracks through. There were some darker bruisers on ‘Live By the Sword‘ as well but this particular song signals a different pace and pummel ahead.

To compound this first impression the title track, “Let the Posers Fall!”, follows with its anthemic Pentagram-esque 80’s metal mutation, a display of the band’s quicker-handed finesse by way of vocalist/bassist Count Karnstein who reigns in the wandering skull of his songcraft outright. This generally describes most of Side A between the bounding but perhaps most squarely signature lead single “New York Ripper” and one of my favorite songs on the album, the darker plod through “I Am the Zodiac” with each bearing a rugged but tightly writ gait through their classics-educated ideas. While the first half of ‘Let the Posers Fall!‘ speaks to a grinning fascination with murder, mayhem afforded the unwitting, and from there Cardinals Folly‘s perversions turn toward the surreal and obscure.

The darker, doomed plod through Side B had a harder time winning me over outright with “Luchador” taking a minute to find its apex and jaw-clenching closer “Providence” simply turning out the lights without much fanfare but that isn’t to say their knife missed its mark. “Your Stallions are Burning” is up there with the title track in terms of showcasing these folks’ lean into traditional heavy metal not only being choice but amplifying the band’s personae into more of a fevered fusion throughout ‘Let the Posers Fall!‘. Otherwise “Cultist Highway” does a fine job of letting the doom in without losing the intensity of the full listen, snarling through its verses and finding their rant and redemption in the second half. That piece alongside “I Am the Zodiac” and the first couple of songs on Side A left me with many new favorites during my time with this album.

Though I wouldn’t say Cardinals Folly can do no wrong it remains to be seen if they will as this seventh in a long line of doomed heavy metal records offers another spirited and personality rich album experience beyond the norm. With that said personae is wasted without effective songcraft and this is truly where ‘Let the Posers Fall!‘ stuns without exiting relevance to their legacy, offering pieces which worm in mind and bite at the grey matter ’til the body is willed unto return listening. Granted I’ve been a fan for at least a decade and went in knowing their sojourn inside and out, for the unindoctrinated this should prove an esoteric heavy metal pumped doom record with a penchant for the infectious, surreal and snarling. A high recommendation.

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