I realize that it's already 2010 and that it would probably be wise to stick to 2010 releases but I happened to stumble on this the other day and really felt the need to write about it. Recently signed to Rise Records in 2007, For the Fallen Dreams has already released two albums and done a considerable amount of touring. Their second album Relentless, sparked my interest because of its similarity to some of my favorite melodic hardcore acts. I do enjoy some heavy chugging from time to time, but with the slew of every god damn hardcore band just jam-packing their albums with it, it just gets old and uninteresting.
Anyway, FTFD caught my attention after listening to their stuff on their myspace because they sound A LOT like old Bury Your Dead (pre-It's Nothing Personal) and If Hope Dies (Life In Ruin, basically one of the best melodic hardcore/metalcore albums I own, it's a shame they threw in the towel). There may be some sections of those heavy chugs and slow generic drum breakdowns, but they're mostly scattered and not drawn out for more than 30 seconds. Their songs are super atmospheric with a continuous array of alternating guitar chugging with energetic guitar licks careening over the surface of everything. Sometimes they even throw in some clean vocals, but mostly stick with the gutteral growling. Songs like "The Call of Perceptions", "A Plethora Of", "Defiance", and "The Pain Loss" are easily their strongest tracks as they combine passionate riffing and severe anger, with the minimum amount of bland chugging and breakdowns. I originally didn't like "Nightmare", but after a few listens it appeared to be a mix of material from Bury Your Dead's Cover Your Tracks and Still Remains' The Serpent because there are gutteral growls mixed with clean singing and an almost electronic feel to the overlapping chorus.
I like the sound. It feels energetic. I like when bands are able to incorporate energy into songs that might otherwise be considered dead and lifeless. And I don't me the type of energy they portray on stage, I'd expect that from any band, but more of an energizing feel that gets you on your feet and makes you physically move to the music. FOFD accomplishes this very well.
Focus Tracks:
Nightmare, The Call of Perceptions, A Plethora Of, Defiance
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