Review Summary: This band might sceam Bury Your Dead but it also whispers "young" Misery Signals
I believe a lot of the time people know a band’s genre when they only know the name of the band. As the years pass it seems that the names are only getting more cliché and predictable for the genre. I mean take “tough man” hardcore for example; Terror, Throwdown, Hatebreed, etc. I don’t think a band title such as Bloc Party or Modest Mouse really fits the appeal.. When you hear “For the Fallen Dreams” alias you probably consider metalcore or pop-punk (or by knowing it’s a review from me, also). For the Fallen Dreams might have a cliché name for a genre known for featuring cliché bands but be careful because not all here in this band is stale bread.
The band shows off the same promising side of a genre gone washed out as bands such as August Burns Red – Constellations and Architects – Hollow Crown prove to reinvent the music. Their music displays a balance of metal with softer melodies and interesting interludes that would even get the avid Misery Signals fan thinking. If you’re looking for a solid metalcore effort from someone you’ve probably never heard before this might be the entry your volume needs.
Relentless
Bands like Parkway Drive, August Burns Red, and Killswitch Engage really seem to mold the influences of For The Fallen Dream. Since those bands have taken a huge hold of my life I truly admire the innovations that this band created in Relentless. For any fans of those types of bands will find themselves right at home with no listening curve as this band molds the best of those bands together. “The Call Out” is the introduction to the album and comes in soft and inviting to the listener at 35 seconds long. Still in such a filler track you can hear an interesting abstract guitar solo which leads into the first real song “Perceptions”. “Perceptions” is hard and abrasive at its surface. When the song winds down you could hear the more melodic stages in the instruments and this band isn’t all about chugging.
The drum patterns are in your face and go heavy on the double bass- a regular in the genre. The guitar riffing is interesting with Parkway Drive like verse riffs that shred and hardcore monotones in between it all. The vocals are very Bury Your Dead/Misery Signals with a very vague monotone like scream. Layering of the vocals is nice but are very obvious in places where you can see the trouble that the vocalist might have on a live set. Breakdowns come and are a plenty but aren’t overpowering like an Emmure song. “A Plethora Of” really starts off like a Killswitch Engage song. It has a more American metal Lamb of God feel and strays away from much melody. The vocals haunt and are prolonged to let the listener know that this isn’t a pop band. The machine gun like double bass rips through the song and the tough man vox really go off on a heavy note. The pre-chorus though gets melodic once again like Parkway Drive would and the guitar tone is glistening bright. The wind down is very uplifting with the drumming and guitars whirling together and then clean vocals that are melodic and empowering.
The solo that the guitars whirl into make it feel like not your typical Acacia Strain band but…
“Nightmares” using down tuning and chugging like they are… This song is like one hard kick to the chest and never lets the listener up for a second. It’s a song that the bro’s in the pit will get a hard on for. Once again the double bass is a plenty and will make listeners who enjoy the hard hitting bass of drums orgasm. The only problem is that any bass guitar is drowned out of the production at all but is this really unusual in this genre? “December Everyday” is the first song I’ve heard from this band and the one that got me interested. It’s intro riffing sounds like something out of Misery Signals – Five Years and really goes into an evolution of song construction than the previous songs. Also the vocals here seem to be more fitting since it feels more varied and less predictable. As the vocals themselves might be monotone like the delivery is brutal and heartfelt. The hardcore element underlies the song but doesn’t seem obnoxious. The one intro riff is a great hook that gets built up in the middle of the song and is even expanded into a solo like atmosphere. This continues directly into the next song “Defiance”. This time the riffing gets even more interesting and takes a step into the right direction. Still for fans of the whole open chord chugging it’s still present but the melody in the soloing of the guitar is something that I’ve really only heard Misery Signals expand upon. Even a clean part spirals down the interlude with the softest parts this band should be capable of exhibiting.
“Smoke Signals” goes off guns a blazing into battle much like Killswitch Engage is known for. The music follows basically the same layering of the first songs but still adds new variants to keep it fresh. The drumming always feels busy and the riffings always throws out things that make the listener go “wow”. Much of the problem is that they really pick their times for it and it’s not many. “In Sincerity” starts off with a rattling riff and spirals out into a full blown guitar assault. It’s probably one of the only songs off of the album that leaves the vocals out and fully appreciates the instrumentals for what they are worth. Without the constipated sounding vocalist the guitar tones and drum patterns are easily identifiable. The guitar goes into this melodic solo during the song and you wonder where this was during most of the other songs. It sounds more like something out of Oh Sleeper or Protest the Hero. The song is a fresh breathe of air on the album since it breaks the mold of repetition momentarily. “Before I Regret” returns to predictable nature but once again the bro’s in the pit are getting down. The song hits on a more personable note with lyrics that can be deciphered by the listener and a story of hardships and other emotionally sexual needs. “Two Tweny Two” starts off like skynet by Acacia Strain. It winds up and down and time shifts all around. It’s almost like it can’t decide between chugging and riffing. The breakdown goes to town with a monstrous bend but if you haven’t heard every variety of breakdown in the previous songs already you’d be hard pressed. “The Pain Loss” goes out in style with monstrous burping like screams that last long and jump up and down style chugging. It’s enough to make a scene kid pass out and the hardcore metaller to put up the devil horns. The lead riffing once again sparkles over the chugging and finds a way to pierce through the listeners ear drums. The epic build up towards the end is a highlight of the album and makes sure that the listener remembers the band through the slosh.
Smoke Signals
While “For the Fallen Dreams” isn’t going to give Between The Buried And Me or any true tech metal band a run for its money it’s still a profound listen. One thing you might mutter is that this band has more advanced cues than a Acacia Strain but still not quite up to par with August Burns Red. For the Fallen Dreams is a mixed bag of bands that pulls out a lot of tricks. Still this doesn’t prove them from resorting to breakdown upon breakdown and a little too much chugging for in my mind, the best interest. Still doesn’t hurt to say that these guys are young and can come around and have a strong array of potential that whispers around with the likes of Parkway Drive and Misery Signals. I guess we’ll soon have to see…
Original Release Date: July 21, 2009
Label: Rise Records
For the Fallen Dreams is:
Andrew Tkaczyk – Drums
Jim Hocking – Guitar
Dylan Richter – Vocals
Chris Cain- Guitar
Joe Ellis- Bass
