FS #12: 'The God Awful Truth' by FBTMOF

[Low_End_Communications]

FS# 12: “The God Awful Truth” by Fear Before the March of Flames

First off, I wanna thank Gav of Left_Shoe for getting me into this band. I never really thought I'd enjoy the screamo/ hardcore world (or whatever you label it), but I really dig these guys. While the first album sounded, at least to me, like straight forward emo/hardcore, the album, Art Damage, featuring this song is a wee bit more experimental. It's not as experimental as another favorite band of mine, The Mars Volta, but there are a few similarities in my eyes.

I chose this particular song because I was able to find a great Power Tab of it thanks to www.ultimate-guitar.com, as well as the fact that there is some nice experimentation (note the changing time signature), and I find the intro bass part catchy and fun. I also wanted to focus on something that would be a little bit easier for people to pick up and play.

Now, first things first. The song is played in drop D. It is originally played with a pick, and thats how I play it as well, to get close to that tone. Bassist Michael Madruga gets his tone via a Schecter Model-T bass through an Ampeg SVT4-Pro head and Ampeg SVT 8x10 cab. (Side note: The Model-T is a great bass)

I will notate this simply, and it's up to you to figure out the rhythms (listen to the song, obviously, its quite easy). Riffs that are repeated will be labeled with a letter, and I will do my best to describe what is going on. I won't go as far as labeling the tempo of sections, but if you wish, I can edit this in later.

Now, for the song. It kicks off with about 4 seconds of feedback, then drops into the intro riff (A), which is a bit slow and in 4/4 time.

(A)4/4
G-------------|-------------|------------|----------------|
D---------0-2-|-3-----3-3/5-|--------0-2-|-3--3-3-3/6-----|
A-------------|-------------|------------|----------------|
D--3----------|-------------|-3----------|----------------|

This riff is played 4 times before a little guitar break. This is where things may be tricky for some. The guitar break consists of two bars of 3/4 and one bar of 5/4, repeated twice before the bass comes back in. Also, this section is faster than riff (A). The rest counts out simply as:

| 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 4 5 | 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 4 5 |

After the subsequent 6 measures of rest, the bass comes back in to support the guitar part. While not entirely doubling the guitars part, the basics of the riff are maintained. This follows the same pattern of 3/4, 3/4, 5/4, and this section (B) is played 4 times as well.

(B)3/4-----------------------5/4

|-------------|------------|-------------------|
|-------------|------------|------------2--2---|
|------3-5----|-----3-5----|-----3-5-----------|
|--0-0-----0--|-0-0-----0--|-0-0-----0---------|

For the second time, the band revisits the intro riff, playing through riff (A) 2 times.

Now, we find ourselves visiting the verse. This is a bit tricky, as the pattern is not exactly your average 4 and 8 bars. The first part (D|-0-3-3-|)(C) is played only three times, and then the descending fill (D)in D minor is played once. Next part of the verse is easy to grasp. Riff (C) is played twice, then (E) twice, and finally (D) twice, while wrapping up with riff F, which jumps back to 3/4, twice.

(C)--------------(D)---------------------(E)-------------(F)3/4

|-------------| |----------------------| |-------------| |-----|
|-------------| |----------------------| |-------------| |-----|
|-------------| |----------------------| |-------------| |-----|
|--0-3-3------| |-0-12-0-10-0-8-0-3-0--| |--0-6-6------| |--0--|

Now comes the bridge, which jumps back and forth between 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, and 5/4. Beginning in 3/4, we find Matt doubling the lead guitars squeely riff. This section is too difficult for me to try and explain, so I will just drop in the entire section, and explain a few bits. This will simply be (G), and is played once in the song.

(G)-----Play 7x—-5/4---------------3/4----Play 3x

||-------------| |---------------| |-------------|
||-------------| |---------------| |-------------|
||--8-7-8-7----| |-8-7-8-7-------| |--8-7-8-7----|
||-------------| |---------------| |-------------|

2/4---------3/4----Play 3x---2/4

|---------| |-------------| |--------|
|---------| |-------------| |--------|
|-8-7-8-7-| |--8-7-8-7----| |-8-7----|
|---------| |-------------| |--------|

3/4-----Play 8x

|-------------|
|-------------|
|-------------|
|--0-0-0-6-5--|

------ Play 3x---2/4---------------Play 3x---4/4

|-------------| |---------| |-------------| |----------------|
|-------------| |---------| |-------------| |----------------|
|--8-7-8-7----| |-8-7-8-7-| |--8-7-8-7----| |-8-7-8-7--------|
|-------------| |---------| |-------------| |---------0--0---|

As you can see, it gets a little weird, but just listen to the record and you'll have it down in no time. The next section, again, is only played once, so this upcoming (H) and the previous sections will be considered the bridge. Note that this is still in 4/4. Play this part twice.

(H)
|--------------|-----2--------|-------------|----------3----|
|--3-0-------0-|-3-0---0--/3--|-3-0-------0-|-3-3-3-3-------|
|--------------|--------------|-------------|---------------|
|------3--0----|--------------|-----3--0----|---------------|

Finally, we hit a riff we recognize. Play (C) 3 times followed by (D) once. We are now at the end of the song. Play the intro riff (A) 6 times before finally hitting a low F and fading out (I) with the track.

(I)
|-----|
|-----|
|-----|
|-3~~~|
Since the formatting got dumb, and I had to put in a bunch of dashes between time sigs and repeats, here is a key for the riffage.

(A) 4x
-REST-
(B) 4x
(C) 3x
(D) 1x
(C) 2x
(D) 2x
(E) 2x
(F) 1x
(G) 1x
(H) 2x
(C) 3x
(D) 1x
(A) 6x
(I) fade
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Well, hope that made sense and you all enjoyed it! The first FS of the new year!!!

[bottlerocket]

YOU JERK!!

I wanted to do Fear Before! :lol:

No problem...they're an awesome awesome awesome band. Glad to see they caught on with at least someone around here. :)

I'll read it now! I sticked this for you...

:thumb:

-Gav

[thelowsoundofbass]

good work LEC,

lowsound

[Low_End_Communications]

You are lightning quick, my friend. I thought you may be upset, but I just said what the hell, and went for it. Love this band, can't wait to hear some new material.

[bottlerocket]

First off, I'd call their first CD, Odd How People Shake, a mixture of ecclectic hardcore with a pinch of screamo. A lot of their songs are goofy and not meant to be taken 100% seriously. They were originally a screw around band but decided they wanted to take things seriously.

Their second CD, Art Damage, is a lot darker and more aggressive. They really found the niche they were going for on the first album. Everyone found their place. Screamer Dave found his highs and lows (the highs are quite evident in this song and lows are prevalient in "The Story of the Curious Oysters," which is a messed up song unto itself).

Fear Before's bassist Michael Madruga really is underrated. He does his job superbly.

I realize not a lot of you are into the music I am, but this ecclectic screamo/hardcore band is really neat and I strongly reccomend it if you're looking for something different. It's not for everyone though.

I'm ready to count how many "omfg dis band suxx" we get. :lol:

Great FS, LEC. +3 GPs!

:thumb:

-Gav

[Left Shoe]

yeah it was more than likely gav got you into them, i didnt start liking themtoo much until recently and i have to be in the mood to listen to them, good fs

[bottlerocket]

You are lightning quick, my friend. I thought you may be upset, but I just said what the hell, and went for it. Love this band, can't wait to hear some new material.

They're writing now...so far, the guitarist Adam said this stuff would be even darker than Art Damage, with the song concepts being even more creepy...

...which is tough to top, reading the lyrics and reflecting on what the songs are about. I mean come on...one song is about oysters going onto land, raping a princess, and broadcasting it on national TV. :lol:

They credited Lewis Carroll for obvious reasons, though.

While these guys aren't emo (at all), straight hardcore, or straight screamo, I can't help but really dig them. They're doing something different, are awesome musicians, and write crazy lyrics (go ahead...read them. :p).

You can see a lot of Dave and Adam's lyrical influence in my lyrics. They're really ambient and tend to take on the perspective of someone who's not quite mentally stable, which definitely rubbed off on me.

Like I said, awesome awesome band, and I thank you for giving them some credit. They deserve it.

http://www.myspace.com/marchofflames

What can I say? I love these guys and would love to meet them.

:thumb:

-Gav

[Ich Habe Sheisse]

Not bad, well written. I'm not a rabid opponent of hardcore, though, for the most part, it bores/annoys me - but I'll be checking them out.

Is there a waiting line or something for this nonsense? If not, I'd like to give it a shot.

[Low_End_Communications]

Well, I noticed more emo influence in their first album, which I read that they refuse to play of its material live, especially "Sarah Goldfarb..." since it is a lot more emo-influenced.

[bottlerocket]

^ They refuse to play "On the Brightside, She Could Choke" as well for the same reasons...I consider those two their worst songs. :lol:

Don't get me wrong: I love emo (Moss Icon, Indian Summer, lickgoldensky, Antioch Arrow, etc.), but it doesn't work on the Fear Before CDs...

:thumb:

-Gav

[Sergio]

Awesome! I've been looking for some Fear Before tabs, cause the songs are hard to figure out. They're one of my favorite bands at the moment. I love the fact that as time goes by they get heavier, while most bands do the opposite. Thanks to Gav for introducing me to these guys with the thread he did on them a while back. :thumb:

[Alma]

Nice FS LEC :thumb:

[basgitarist]

yes! this is what an FS looks like. great job!. Too bad the spacing is a bit off. put this picture at the end of your post. It wil widen the table. :thumb:

http://members.lycos.nl/niekweb/forum/spacer.JPG

[PaulR]

Hey Kid. I'm A Computer. Stop All The Downloading!

[bottlerocket]

^ My favorite song on the new album...:D

:thumb:

-Gav

[Sergio]

^ My favorite song on the new album...:D

:thumb:

-Gav

Indubitably!

Although The God Awful Truth and Consequences David, You'll Meet Your Fate In The Styx are damned good as well. :thumb:

[groundzero]

They were pretty good when they played here in Rochester a while ago.

[Sergio]

They were pretty good when they played here in Rochester a while ago.

Okay. Now I'm officially jealous. :evil:

[groundzero]

Okay. Now I'm officially jealous. :evil:
I even got a shirt.

[Sergio]

I even got a shirt.

Pffft! I do too!

[Pluperfect_Arson]

Fear Before is a good band. I wouldn't really say that they're a great band, but they definitely have their ups.

I had their latest release before it was actually released, so I had listened to that a bit. I had listened to them before, but, as with most bands, I don't ever actually pay attention to a band I'm listening to when it's the first time for some reason. Well, my ex-girlfriend loved them, and she sent me "The Story of The Curious Oysters," and I absolutely loved it. From there, she gave me the rest of the album, and I went to check out their previous release again.

I wasn't disappointed, but I grew tired of them after a while. I enjoy listening to them every once-in-a-while now, but I definitely went through my Fear Before phase quickly.

Long live Between The Buried and Me! :p

By the way, nice job, LEC. :)

[ToughGuyMcGee]

I truly do love fear before the march of flames...

[choke383]

FEAR BEFORE YEEEEAAAAAAHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

they rock hard

[Low_End_Communications]

This band just makes me want to get into more of the hardcore scene. Theres just something about them that I really like that I didn't hear in many other hXc bands.

[Left Shoe]

Long live Between The Buried and Me! :p

*hiss* the only good thing they do is a cover of colorblind, and thats because countign crows just owns so badly you cant screw it up.

[bottlerocket]

This band just makes me want to get into more of the hardcore scene. Theres just something about them that I really like that I didn't hear in many other hXc bands.

Fear Before isn't hardcore...

Hardcore = Modern Life is War, Guns Up!, Comeback Kid, etc.

Fear Before is a blend of old school energetic emo and screamo.

:thumb:

-Gav

[MuRd0K]

omfg dis band suxx

1....

[Left Shoe]

Fear Before isn't hardcore...

Hardcore = Modern Life is War, Guns Up!, Comeback Kid, etc.

Fear Before is a blend of old school energetic emo and screamo.

:thumb:

-Gav
all the aytch ecks see kids around here hate comeback kid, i like em *cooler than them*

[bottlerocket]

^ Comeback Kid is decent...I like Sinking Ships and Final Fight way better, though.

x781x hXc

:thumb:

-Gav

[jcs499]

Well, I noticed more emo influence in their first album, which I read that they refuse to play of its material live, especially "Sarah Goldfarb..." since it is a lot more emo-influenced.
Seriously?! So that's why they didn't when I saw them..."lisbon Girls" is by far my favorite song by them, and I'd love to see it live.:angry:


groundzero: Yeah, I'm also from rochester, but I saw them like 4 hours away from here.:p

[Pluperfect_Arson]

*hiss* the only good thing they do is a cover of colorblind, and thats because countign crows just owns so badly you cant screw it up.

Lame. :p

[groundzero]

Seriously?! So that's why they didn't when I saw them..."lisbon Girls" is by far my favorite song by them, and I'd love to see it live.:angry:


groundzero: Yeah, I'm also from rochester, but I saw them like 4 hours away from here.:p
They played at Penny with... I want to say Evergreen Terrace but it was a long time ago so I'm not sure.

[Down'd Angel]

evening all...

:wave:

[Visti]

*hiss* the only good thing they do is a cover of colorblind, and thats because countign crows just owns so badly you cant screw it up.

And they did nick their name from a Crows song..

[Pluperfect_Arson]

And they did nick their name from a Crows song..

I knew that. :)

[telemore]

Damn this thread. Reading it, I had to go hunt down my copy of Art Damage. I can't listen to it that much, it gets irritating, but my God, the vocals on Consequences David... are fantastic. When he's screamin "Wins, wins you see." That's the stuff dreams are made of. Reminds me of Jacob Banner, at least that little bit.

[bottlerocket]

^ You mean Jacob Bannon from Converge?

Bannon has higher range and his voice is much more "shriek-y" than Dave's. Dave's is a bit too airy, but I see the comparison.

-Gav

[telemore]

Bannon/Banner potatoes/potatoes. :p


The similarity lies in the one phrase where it sounds like it's distorted.

Good band tho, and good fs, I'm gonna get my bass out later on today and get it learned.

[B]

sup guyz Fear Before rules.

oh and Converge

[bottlerocket]

^ ...That's like comparing metalcore apples and eclectic screamo/emo oranges. :lol:

-Gav

[B]

One time I ate an apple and an orange at the same time.

[Sergio]

One time I ate an apple and an orange at the same time.

One time I ate Fear Before and Converge at the same time.

[B]

That's crazy stuff.

OHPS>AD

[muthafunkabass]

i would like to do an FS. how may more people are in line? i want to do "Sun King by the Cult" becuase so many people play it wrong.

[YDload]

These Featured Songs are very well put together, but I'm always kind of disappointed in the choice of songs. They're usually very boring and, despite the enthusiasm of the thread starter, they come off as not being worthwhile to learn. I'm not saying there should only be Featured Song reviews on Jaco and Wooten or anything like that, but couldn't they be just a tiny bit more interesting or challenging? I know some of them already are, but that's not the trend at the moment.

[Low_End_Communications]

I see where you're coming from, and I do agree. But at the same time, you've got to have the chops yourself to play this stuff. I'd say only 20% of the forum is able to really nail Jaco or Wooten. It just seems like there is this focus on the chops playing, and to me, an FS should be about the music.

[YDload]

Well I think a few previous articles got it right. Covering stuff that isn't too easy, but also not too challenging, and also from a band/bassist that everyone should be familiar with. Classic rock staples like Led Zep, Black Sabbath, The Who, and Cream would be nice. Or even some relatively newer stuff like Maiden, Metallica, RHCP... these bands have a huge following here, so much that their bassists are often pushed into godlike status (and overrated as a result).

I do like the idea of doing lesser-known bands, but I just think that, like the Featured Artist profiles, we should get the well-known ones out of the way in order to focus on the underrated guys.

[muthafunkabass]

i would like to do an FS. how may more people are in line? i want to do "Sun King by the Cult" becuase so many people play it wrong.
will somebody please help?

[Visti]

As far as I know, I'm in line, but there's someone before me..