The Metal world has been graced with a lengthy list of talented women through the decades, and one who stands out is Leah McHenry. Out of Canada, McHenry, professionally known as LEAH, has been actively making her mark on the scene for thirteen years now; releasing her debut album Of Earth & Angels in 2012, opening the floodgate for a mass of other music. Unique in the respect that LEAH’s style is a hybrid of Symphonic and Folk Metal, mixed with elements of World Music, the boldest aspect of everything she does is the Celtic influences. Something she has excelled at; LEAH has captured the imagination of her listeners on each of her releases leading through to 2019’s Christmas-themed album Ancient Winter. All the time working solely as an independent entrepreneur with her own label Ex Cathedra Records, in 2024 she returns with her new album The Glory and the Fallen.
Her sixth overall full-length album, the story behind getting the music out there is equally as inspiring as the context itself. As mentioned, LEAH is wholly independent, so she has complete control over her creations, but also has to find resources to make them become reality. Doing just that, in August of 2023 she launched a crowdfunding campaign to help fund the work of The Glory and the Fallen. A standard enough, modern concept for independent artists to raise money, the difference with LEAH is that her campaign aimed at building a real community of support and engagement with passionate fans. Clearly a great approach, it was a record-breaking crowdfunding campaign… because in all, it raised $83,000+!
Nothing less than impressive and inspiring, The Glory and the Fallen at last arrives on February 16th with plenty to offer. First and foremost, the album is as unique as anything LEAH has done prior, but also includes a slew of guest collaborations worth mentioning; including Epica’s Mark Jansen, former Delain Guitarist Timo Somers, Delain’s Drummer Sander Zoer (Delain), production from Oliver Philipps (Everon, Phantasma), plus artwork created by Giannis Nakos (Kamelot, Evergrey, Amaranthe). A large project in its own right, the album itself includes twelve songs that were magically composed by LEAH herself.
In all, LEAH retains her style, but somehow The Glory and the Fallen feels grander in its scope. Perhaps a result of all the contributors involved, the truth is that LEAH seems to have pushed herself to expand on her earlier concepts a little bit further this time around. This means you have an album that is colorful, rich with texture, and cinematic in nature. With a lot happening in the less than an hour of music, going into this album you are prepared for something special; hearing the track “Sleeping Giant” (with Jansen’s harsh vocals) from 2022, prior to “Before This War Is Over” arriving in early 2023, before “Archangel” in January.
These brief glimpses provided, the remainder of The Glory and the Fallen rides high on epic arrangements, thoughtful lyrics, and diverse vocals. This is consistent, but some of the biggest triumphs would have to be tracks like “Unshakable” “Dream Voyage,” and the angelic “Speak To Me.” This is while shifts in songs like “Wings of Time” and “Victory” keep you deeply invested in the material.
Overall, The Glory and the Fallen could be LEAH’s boldest album to date. Glorious Symphonic Metal that stands miles ahead in genre where everything sometimes begins to blend together, Cryptic Rock gives The Glory and the Fallen 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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