Band: Fallstaf
Album Title: Ode To The Dead
Release Date: November 14, 2025
Genre: Brass Metal
Location: Montreal, QC, Canada
Track Listing:
1. Sunless Friday – 2:57
2. Ode to the Dead – 3:27
3. Battered Soul – 3:40
4. Kings of the West Side – 3:31
5. Under the Same Sky – 3:31
6. Bastard Son – 3:45
7. The Burden – 4:41
Album length: 25:37
Album Credits:
Songs performed by: FALLSTAF
Songs written by: Ian Lavoie/Kevin Jardine
Produced by: Kevin Jardine
Mixed by: Kevin Jardine
Mastered by: Kevin Jardine
Album artwork by: Ian Lavoie
MAPL – Canadian Content
BAND LINE UP:
SIMM / Guitars
RICKK / Horns
IANN / Vocals
GOYY / Bass
MATT / Drums
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About The Album Artwork:
I wanted to create a cover that wasn’t too macabre after all. I took this photo of the skull and layered it multiple times with different colors; the skull represented the album title well and our sound, which is not dark musically but dark in the lyrics.
About The Album:
Dark stories on a groovy, brass, and heavy note.
Track By Track:
SUNLESS FRIDAY: Sunless Friday tells the story of my accident that happened on a Friday afternoon. The music reflects this cold gray day well, especially with the beginning and the trombone that screams.
ODE TO THE DEAD is a tribute to the deceased; they are no longer physically here, but they are always in our thoughts, which is the reason for the phrase “they walk among us”. The riff of the chorus gave rise to the rest of the song.
BATTERED SOUL talks about a guy who committed suicide, the pain of living, abandonment, depression, and indifference. The song was much faster before going into the studio, but it still had the ending in decrescendo; we wanted a heavier song with more sludge metal sounds.
KINGS OF THE WEST SIDE, we’re from the southwest of Montreal, where there have been several clan wars, the Irish mafia, the Italian mafia, the French-Canadian mafia, and the bikers. It’s a song about organized crime and allegiance to a gang. The music comes from an old song that was never recorded.
UNDER THE SAME SKY talks about the world we live in, about the people, the conflicts in all countries, and the leaders. The world is vast, but there is only one sky. For the music, we started with the chorus; we wanted a sludge metal chorus. I am a big fan of Corrosion Of Conformity and Pepper Keenan’s style. In the verses, I wanted a higher voice.
BASTARD SON is about a man who walked in the footsteps of his father, who was a hitman, and talks to his own son about not following in his footsteps. SIMM composed this riff (gallop) that fit perfectly with the song’s theme. We added gang vocals on top, then we wanted a more thrash metal chorus.
THE BURDEN talks about the burden of cancer, which affects all aspects of life. I lost my parents to cancer, and group members have also lost loved ones to this disease. We have all experienced the ups and downs, the treatments, the hopes, and the relapses. I saw my father suffer; for him and for us, dying was a release. It’s an oppressive, dark music, with a bridge that surprises with its speed, and a melancholic, melodic ending that signifies the release from suffering.
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FUN FACT:
Every time we step on stage, people are skeptical, with our suits and ties, a masked trombonist, the world thinks we are a ska band. As soon as the first chord is played, people see that we kick ass.
SIMM/Guitars – RICKK /Horns – IANN/Vocals – GOYY/ Bass – MATT/Drums
Photo: Sébastien Roy
Born from the ashes of Montreal’s alternative outfit North East Bistro, Fallstaf emerged in 2009 with a bold vision: to fuse the raw power of metal with the unexpected punch of brass. What began as a riff experiment among longtime friends quickly evolved into a genre-defying force. By 2011, their debut album Bastard Son of a Pure Breed, produced by Kevin Jardine (Slaves On Dope), had carved their name into the local scene, earning them the title of “pioneers of brass metal.” With a trombone front and center, Fallstaf’s sound was as unconventional as it was unforgettable, groove-heavy, progressive, and fiercely experimental.
From 2009 to 2015, the band toured extensively across Quebec, captivating audiences with their explosive live shows, signature suits and ties, and a masked brass player who defied every expectation. But in 2016, tragedy struck. Frontman IANN suffered a near-fatal accident that left him in a coma, cost him his leg, and forced the band into silence.
Eight years later, the silence broke.
In 2024, Fallstaf reunited, reigniting their creative fire and returning to the studio with Jardine to craft their long-awaited second album, Ode to The Dead, set for release in Fall 2025. The record is a cathartic journey through grief, survival, and rebirth, an autobiographical and story-driven collection of tracks that explore death in its many forms, from personal loss to societal decay. With songs like “Sunless Friday,” “Battered Soul,” and “The Burden,” the album balances lyrical darkness with groovy, brass-laced heaviness, showcasing the band’s evolution in both sound and spirit.
Fallstaf’s music draws influence from groove metal, prog metal, metalcore, and hardcore, echoing the intensity of Pantera and Hatebreed while channeling the brass-infused chaos of Shining and Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Their sound has matured, more melodic, more complex, and more emotionally resonant, yet their core remains unchanged: a love for metal, a bond of friendship, and a passion for performance.
Live, Fallstaf is a spectacle. With IANN’s robotic leg, a masked trombonist, and a wall of sound that obliterates expectations, they’re not just a band, they’re an experience. And while they may not be chasing fame or world tours, their return is a testament to resilience, creativity, and the healing power of music.
Fallstaf is back. Louder, wiser, and ready to kick ass.
DISCOGRAPHY:
2009- The Hitman Plays Trombone (demo)
2011 – Bastard Sons of a Pure Breed – LP
2025 – Ode To the Dead – LP
Shared Stage with:
Arseniq33, Grimskunk, Slaves On Dope, Blind Witness, Sandveiss, Groovy Aardvark, Hollow, Unbeing
Tours and Festivals:
Wacken Metal Battle – 2012 – Montreal
M for Metal – 2013 – Montreal
Buckfest – 2013 – Montreal
M for Metal Movember – 2014 – Montreal
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