Album Review

For The Fallen Dreams – Back Burner

• 17th Jun 2011

When a genre starts feeling the weights of its forms, those movements that define it can sometimes confine it. Metalcore for many bands has reached a point where they are now looking to push their sound further, adding more melodic elements and twists to retain interest and longevity.

For the fallen dream’s follow up to 2009 ‘Relentless’ retains the thing they do best, breakdowns and that switch from passive to aggressive lines, this time around singer Dylan applies previously unheard softer vocals, and Jim & Kalan’s guitar lines show another side other than attack.

Opener ‘Say What You Will’ with its electric heartbeat introduction covers every melodic hardcore base, acting almost as a mission statement it poses the question-maybe too early- “What next?”

It’s answered by ‘Deep Down Inside’ as FTFD slow their sound down, which serves to highlight just how heavy they can plough when the chorus comes in. At its best massive without indulgence, memorable without being repetitive.

The musical high points are the clutch of songs at the centre of the album.  Starting with ‘My Anthem-Like Symphony’ which shows a quick transition from growl to bite, and ‘Bottom Feeders’ which ultimately moves as far to the opposite side of where Ftfd aggressively started. These two songs bookend ‘The Big Empty’ with its thrashing , solid breakdown and personal journey lyrics that echo the entire album ‘I need to grow and I need to let go’ it’s these three songs that show the album up to the light, illustrating and showing a direction FTFD are willing to follow.

The balance is struck with ‘Let Go’s sheer unremitting push and ‘Yellow’, Mike Duce’s vocals providing that extra colour potentially missing in other songs. It gets to the point, nails it to your head and then twists all the ideas put forward, all the while keeping the song together.

Producer Tom Denney’s production shines through the entire album and helps pull the ideas together, allowing interesting sound choices to be used to full effect and the ideas that work be amplified and enhanced.

For the fallen dreams need to break out of the metalcore mould, this album is them hitting the edges, but not breaking through. Following the musical route they have started will see them eventually get to a point this album hints at.