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One of several Tolkien-themed black metal bands active in the scene, Dwarrowdelf has only been around since 2017 but The Fallen Leaves is their fifth full-length, along with a few shorter releases sprinkled throughout their catalog. Theirs is a synth-heavy sound and the guitars and drums take a back seat in the mix, leaving the vocals the heaviest element in a lot of the songs. The melodies are beautiful, especially when the synths emulate the harp like on "A Journey to Dawn." There is some clean singing mixed in with the black/death rasping with both styles working within the musical framework, neither elevating the songs nor having a deleterious impact. Metal Archives lists Dwarrowdelf as "epic/ambient" but to my ears this album has a cinematic feel, like I should be watching a movie or playing a fantasy video game while it is on. It seems like it would suit those activities more than sitting and listening, but I'm sure there will be a range of preferences. I don't dislike The Fallen Leaves and it sounds good, but it doesn't lift my spirit and carry it to foreign lands the way some Tolkien-based metal does.