Befallen

Befallen formed in the fall of 2005 with brothers Brian (guitar) and Bill (bass) Hugel and drummer Brian Polzner getting together to jam based on a shared love of extreme metal. Wanting to separate themselves from the hardcore and metalcore sound that dominated the Cleveland metal scene, they found inspiration in European melodic death and doom bands like Swallow the Sun, Opeth, Insomnium and Katatonia. Rather than trying to play faster and with more brutality than their peers, they focused o...

Befallen formed in the fall of 2005 with brothers Brian (guitar) and Bill (bass) Hugel and drummer Brian Polzner getting together to jam based on a shared love of extreme metal. Wanting to separate themselves from the hardcore and metalcore sound that dominated the Cleveland metal scene, they found inspiration in European melodic death and doom bands like Swallow the Sun, Opeth, Insomnium and Katatonia. Rather than trying to play faster and with more brutality than their peers, they focused on incorporating subtle melodies and slowing down their attack. Soon it became evident that having just one guitar player wasn’t going to cut it, so Dan Bontempo came in a few months after those first jam sessions. Now the band’s sound really began to take shape: dual harmonies and arpeggiated leads blended with plodding doom and the occasional death metal riff, all supporting intelligent, imagery-laden lyrics. The only thing missing: a vocalist. Fruitlessly they searched for several months, writing songs all the while, trying to find a frontman. Not having any luck, they decided that recording some material might help them draw more interest. So they went to Eric Milos’ Orange Tree Studio in August, 2007 to record their three-song Conversations in Empty Rooms demo, with Brian Hugel performing vocals. Once these songs were added to their Myspace page, more prospective vocalists started auditioning, though the search didn’t end until February, 2008 when Tom Novak responded to their online ad. One audition was all it took for them to decide that Tom was their man, as his growls are second to none. To sweeten the deal, Tom was on board with the band’s mission to make dark, melacholic metal different from that being offered by most Cleveland bands. With the lineup now complete, Befallen started playing a slew of local shows, culminating with an opening slot for Candlemass and Daylight Dies. Now they plan to enter the studio again in July to record another slew of brooding songs with their new vocalist, music sure to excite those looking for something different out of the vital Cleveland metal scene.