Review Summary: Hopesfall triumphantly return after an 11-year hiatus to craft their 5th full-length "Arbiter"...
For how long Hopesfall have been away from making music it's incredible how the band has managed to reinvent themselves again. This shouldn't come as a surprise though considering how innovative
The Satellite Years (2002) was as well as the quietly epic release of the
No Wings to Speak Of EP was back in 2001.
A Types (2004) and
Magnetic North (2007) saw the band experiment in different directions, but ultimately resulted in the band breaking up in 2008 (thanks Trustkill).
But… enough about the past, this is a chance for us to digest new Hopesfall. That has such a nice ring to it. The record has such beautiful textures and soaring melodies it’s hard not to at least tip your cap at such a pretty sounding album.
Faint Object Camera - 5:25
Track of the year. Definitely one of the best Hopesfall tracks ever. This track screamed Hum from the opening note, but this track was so much more than a cover. Jay's screaming in the beginning and the crushing blows of the music sounded like the band picked up where they left off on TSY and meshed it up with
Magnetic North. Adam Morgan's drumming really drives this track, which really allows the rest of the act to build from melodic metalcore riffs into a crescendo of Hum-style shoegaze and post-rock sure to send chills down your spine. The song's middle section breaks down into a space rock interlude that results in the final act exploding a classic Hopesfall riff section.
10/10
H.A. Space Academy - 4:03
This track is so reminiscent of
A Types in it's composition and sound. This track really displays Jay's full range of vocals. Chino Moreno and Geoff Rickly would appreciate the vocal effort on this track. The track's lead guitars again echo over the melodic singing of Jay and the song builds into a
No Wings to Speak Of riff section at the end. A really solid build on the opening track, but loses points in some of its transitions.
8/10
Bradley Fighting Vehicle - 3:40
Anthemic. Emotional. Driving. This track seemingly revisits material from TSY and while perhaps not original is refreshing to hear again. Jay's screams echo under the spacey atmospheres of dissonant chords. This song definitely pays tribute to
Full Collapse-era Thursday in the verses, and that was a welcoming sound to my ears.
9/10
C.S. Lucky One - 4:22
Hopesfall always have such classic riff sections, and my god does this track have some classic Hopesfall moments in it. The production on this song, and subsequent album, are top notch. I cannot say enough about the lead guitars on this album, and they shine through in the chorus.
"Wasn't the last I've thrown away/First to fall/You're the first to go..."
The outro of the track definitely has a subtle Shiner influence in it, and that was a really nice touch to the track.
8.5/10
I Catapult - 5:01
The track opens with what sounds like a tribute to the instrumental song "Redshift" with hushed vocals echoing. Then the track explodes into a crashing melody of atmospheres. The track again concludes with a Failure-esque outro of piercing guitars and distorted vocals a la Matt Talbott. An amazing track.
10/10
Tunguska – 4:22
Spacious melodies and pounding rhythms really take over on this song. While the vocals lacked on this track, the rest of the band picked up the slack to create a soundscape nothing short of soaring.
7.5/10
Aphelion – 1:44
Ephemeral, brutal, and beautiful. Hopesfall segues are of a different breed, especially ones that sound reminiscent of TSY. This track serves a purpose to maintain the emotional tone of the album and it does this beautifully. I only wish it were longer.
9/10
Drowing Potential – 4:37
Anxious, dreamy, and heavy. This track has a strong Deftones influence on it, hinting at
Saturday Night Wrist tracks “Mein” and “Rats!Rats!Rats” at parts. This makes sense too as Jay switches his singing up in between heavy and dreamy sections to do his best Chino Moreno. The outro of the song has another droning Hum/Failure type interlude that fades out into silence.
9/10
To Bloom – 5:23
This track opens with a really nice upbeat melody and quickly snaps into a Hum riff section with those same soaring lead guitars. The song then switches up into a melodic metalcore section rivaled only by Misery Signals. The outro of the song has a spacey finish of Jay’s drowned-out vocals underneath the fluttering guitars trailing out. It’s both ethereal and melancholic. Gorgeous.
10/10
Indignation and the Rise of the Arbiter – 6:19
The (sort of) title track sees the band open into an
A Types type melody with Jay’s clean singing and the rest of the band playing a more straightforward post-hardcore hit. The song breaks down into a spacious jam session for Adam, Dustin, Chad and Justin, building back up into a climactic finish of Jay emotionally yelling and the music soaring to seemingly new heights before the music fades out and floats away. Felt this track left a little bit on the table but still a competent closing to an amazing album.
8/10
FINAL RATING – 4.45/5
In conclusion, this album saw the band reinvent their sound, but not enough can be said about the production quality on this album. Producer Mike Watts deserves a lot of credit on this record, all of these tracks sound absolutely beautiful. This was truly an awesome album and a brilliant return to form from the prodigal sons of space rock. Finally, after 11 years, we can now say The End of an Era is over. Hopesfall are ***ing back.
Hopesfall are:
- Jay Forrest – vocals
- Adam Morgan – drums
- Joshua Brigham – guitar
- Chad Waldrup – bass, guitar
- Dustin Nadler – guitar
