Review Summary: Beautiful and chaotic, "All The Footprints You've Ever Left And The Fear Expecting Ahead" is a definitive album, and one which seamlessly combines everything that is and was Envy.
Often hailed as Japan’s premier emotional hardcore act, Envy have enjoyed an illustrious career. Finding a massive following outside their native country, Envy have helped shape and inspire an entire sub-genre. One of the trail-blazers of “post-rock tinged screamo,” the band laid the ground for acts such as Heaven in Her Arms, Sed non Satiata, and Mesa Verde. Yet the band wasn’t always so revered, as it took years of tinkering with their sound to finally get it right. And get it right they did, as their fourth effort was the first to display the promise they had been showing, and ultimately, would go down as one of their finest moments.
All The Footprints You’ve Ever Left And The Fear Expecting Ahead realizes a perfect balance between sheer beauty and absolute chaos; an album full of hope, caught in a maelstrom that twists and misshapes, adding desperation and fury to an otherwise uplifting work. Being the de facto representation of everything Envy has been over the course of their illustrious career,
All The Footprints… blends the unrefined hardcore ferocity of their early works (
Breathing And Dying In This Place), and the heavily post-rock influenced sound that dominates what they have since become. The album is a cross roads of sorts--a halfway point in the evolution of the band and their sound. For this,
All The Footprints… manages to be
the definitive work of Envy.
At nearly fifty minutes in length, the album is quite a beast , packing in loads of musical content without a second of wasted space or filler. It’s beautifully crafted, with the production giving a raw feel when needed, and softening up a bit at just the right moments. The ebb and flow that has since become a staple of the band is in full swing here, with muddy riffs giving way to soaring melodies and harmonies. What makes these moments so wonderful is the stark contrast of Tetsuya Fukagawa’s vocals to the rest of the band, as they play uplifting passages accompanied by his emotive and impassioned wails. It’s polarizing to say the least, but it sounds perfect together, even with Fukagawa’s limited vocal range. He sounds more emotional and fierce than any vocalist out there, but at times it feels like he only has one dynamic level and one pitch. The rest of the band, however, more than makes up for this, with the guitarists in particular really stealing the show. At times dark, while at others blissfully light, the two truly know how to set a mood and keep things interestingly complex.
Yet even with an outstanding band on display, it is the songwriting that really shines here. With a pleasant mix of styles,
All The Footprints… stands out as one of Envy’s most varied albums. Filled with copious amounts of punk/hardcore inspired tracks, the album moves at a furious pace. Opening with the dark and ominous “Zero,” the record quickly erupts into a frenzied and chaotic affair, with “Farwell to Words” featuring Fukagawa’s emotive shrieks and Dairoku Seki’s clamoring percussion. From here on out, the album is a series of highs and lows, with lulling melodies being sprinkled about. What’s most impressive here is that Envy have successfully created a record full of standouts, full of impassioned anthems and gut wrenching tracks. “Lies, and Release From Silence,” “Mystery and Peace,” and “A Cage it Falls Into” are each filled with unforgettable moments, with subtle builds and explosive climaxes really displaying the power that the band can create. The closer, “Your Shoes And The World To Come” at eight minutes is the longest piece, and easily the most daunting. With a several minute build, the track errupts into a raw and aggressive bout of intensity, until it quietly fades into a soothing acoustic outro.
A decade ago Envy set a standard, and one which they have yet to hit again. Combining everything that they were, and everything that they were to become, the band struck gold, creating one of the most unforgettable emo/post-hardcore records of the last decade.
All The Footprints… is a truly spectacular piece of work; and album that for those who embrace it, will find it impossible to forget.
