Cardinals Folly Let The Posers Fall Review
Cardinals Folly
Let The Posers Fall
Cruz Del Sur Music
2026
Once more, Cruz Del Sur Music manages to find another band I can get behind, vibe with and really sink my teeth into. This time around we’re looking at the seventh release, “Let The Posers Fall,” from Finnish Doom/Heavy Metal band Cardinals Folly. I’d never heard of the band before, and that’s not unusual in the least, but I’m oh so familiar with the band’s approach, thought process and the smoke they bring when you press play.
Given that this album is being released in the fall isn’t by chance; it was done purposely. Cardinals Folly’s lyrical content and overall approach leans heavily into the Horror aesthetic, and I don’t mean Halloween face painting and trick-or-treating. Not at all. This three-piece has put together a nine-track album with every tune coming straight from the left hand of the occult Horror bible. There are odes to serial killers, H.P. Lovecraft and all sorts of other things that crawl around in the darker corners of the human imagination.
While the band isn’t new, nor are they breaking any new ground musically, it’s still refreshing to hear something like this from a Heavy Metal perspective. Often when I see or hear the words “Doom” and “Occult” in the same press release, I’m overrun with odes to Satan, rituals and all sorts of Pagan rites. There might be a little of that here, but not enough to become cheeky or lame. There aren’t but a few bands that can pull off that schtick anyway and get away with it. Even then, fans of those bands can be hard to find, I know, I’m one of them.
Where Cardinals Folly separates themselves is in the Metal approach. “Let The Posers Fall” is an all-out riff fest, complete with the lead breaks to match. The production falls firmly on the organic side of things and could easily attract fans of Candlemass and Trouble, but that’s not a bad thing, is it?! If you’re looking for Doom like those bands, though, you’re probably going to be turned off here. The vocals could certainly be seen as Doom, but given the Horror aesthetic, I’m not sure I’d classify them that way. The mood and clean approach are here, but there’s more teeth behind it. Think Phil Swanson of Hour of 13 with a lot more bite.
I’m surprised that I’m just now hearing this band. Given the Horror, Doom and Occult vibes, you’d think Cardinals Folly would have crawled across my path years ago. But no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to listen to everything, and sometimes the dead rise when they’re good and ready.
“Let The Posers Fall” is a damn good album, and I’m pleased as hell that I finally came across the band. I’ll definitely be checking out their earlier material because, frankly, the band’s name commands it. Any band that names themselves after a home in a classic Hammer film, “The Devil Rides Out,” has already earned a little extra attention from me.
And if you haven’t seen the film, I strongly recommend fixing that mistake too. Dim the lights, pour yourself into a dark room and let Hammer do what Hammer does best. Then put on Cardinals Folly and let the night get a little darker.
Standouts – “Hitch-Hike”, “New York Ripper”, “Your Stallions Are Burning” and “Providence”.