Klatzke
12/13/08, 01:59 PM
Chasing Victory - Fiends
Record Label: Mono Vs Stereo
Release Date: May 8, 2007
From the moment Fiends opens with it's steady guitar line and initial vocals, you can sense the change from I Call This Abandonment to this album. It only takes a few moments for you to see just how big that change is. The clean vocals that kick in are still good, but they just aren't quite what you'd expect after blasting their debut for over a year; it's hard to put your finger on exactly what changed, but it's easy to sense. They've obviously matured from one to the other, but it's so hard to nail down what it is that's attributed to their change in sound. One of the big things that's kind of apparent is a grunge influence that seemed to permeate into their post-hardcore leanings.
There's still plenty of screaming present on Fiends but it doesn't nearly match the amount present on I Call This Abandonment. Instead, what shines on this album is Adam Harell's singing. From the first chorus in "Chemicals," you see this when his stressed delivery does just that: delivers. Then, we're on to the next song "Wolves." This is easily the catchiest track Chasing Victory ever released, and opens with the lines: "Everybody knows, everybody knows / Everybody knows she's a riot when she's striking a pose / Place your bets, place your bets / On the girl in the short skirt showing off her assets." And later: "Don't be fooled by her innocent eyes / she's a wolf, she's a wolf in a sheepish disguise." Even though these aren't exactly "catchy" songs, per se, these are lines that have found themselves stuck in my head more than once. Harell does a great job in delivering lines in sometimes catchy and always interesting ways. For example, his stand-offish delivery in "Fiends" really makes the track. The chorus is also strong, and the choral lines "They say I'm addicted to the spotlight / Oh No! / I've got a feeling they may be right" are delivered perfectly.
The instrumentation really takes a step up in this album. Not only do they incorporate more instruments into the mix, such as horns in "Wolves," as well as strings and keys, they've generally stepped up their playing. The guitar work was pretty standard in their debut, and it seems that on Fiends they really step it up and create something even more interesting. Another thing that's noticeably on this album is an actual bass presence that you don't seem to find on most post-hardcore releases.
Every time I revisit this album, I'm blown away. One of the biggest things that contributes to this is just how many of the tracks are solid. I mean you've got pretty much all of them that I've mentioned, as well as almost every other track. They all find a way to shine in their own light, and unlike their debut, the tracks don't really bleed together. "Brides" is definitely worth a mention. It's got pretty much everything that makes this album shine: great vocals, great delivery, a driving riff and a catchy chorus. The vocals on "Fiends" are also worth talking about. They're basically a critique of the current "scene" and what they think of it, and some of the more powerful lines are as follow:
"I've been feeling kind of sick to my stomach / It's just a gimmick but the kids seem to love it / And if you're patient you can witness the sellout / I'm not a killer, but Hollywood's gonna drown / And if you're feeling original don't let it go to your head / It's all been done before / You're not the first one."
These lines are just an indication of the song, and overall it's got a pretty pessimistic vibe going for it. Lines like this make it no real surprise that the band would choose to break up. Of course, it's not as if they had it in mind when writing this, but this kind of outlook couldn't have been a positive force in the decision (though that's definitely not saying they're wrong). This isn't the only song where the lyrics are powerful. In any of the songs, no matter what they're talking about really, the lyrics make an impression. For example, "Janus" seems to be about our narrator having to support a loved one through a rough time. Here, the lines "I don't want to see you drown / And all my life, I've been pulling you out of the water / Oh, the waves, they keep pulling you under" speak leagues in just a few words about the condition he's found himself in.
Chasing Victory's breakup is really unfortunate. This is one of those bands that I had some serious hope for. Their debut was powerful enough, but with Fiends they really solidified themselves a place in the scene (that they seemed to have a bit of contempt for). I know I can't expect to ever hear anything more from this band, I just hope that we see their members move on to a few more great projects. It would be a shame to see the talent displayed on both their debut and Fiends go to waste.
Blindside; Idiot Pilot; one of the hardest RIYL's I've ever done
myspace.com/chasingvictory (http://www.myspace.com/chasingvictory)
Record Label: Mono Vs Stereo
Release Date: May 8, 2007
From the moment Fiends opens with it's steady guitar line and initial vocals, you can sense the change from I Call This Abandonment to this album. It only takes a few moments for you to see just how big that change is. The clean vocals that kick in are still good, but they just aren't quite what you'd expect after blasting their debut for over a year; it's hard to put your finger on exactly what changed, but it's easy to sense. They've obviously matured from one to the other, but it's so hard to nail down what it is that's attributed to their change in sound. One of the big things that's kind of apparent is a grunge influence that seemed to permeate into their post-hardcore leanings.
There's still plenty of screaming present on Fiends but it doesn't nearly match the amount present on I Call This Abandonment. Instead, what shines on this album is Adam Harell's singing. From the first chorus in "Chemicals," you see this when his stressed delivery does just that: delivers. Then, we're on to the next song "Wolves." This is easily the catchiest track Chasing Victory ever released, and opens with the lines: "Everybody knows, everybody knows / Everybody knows she's a riot when she's striking a pose / Place your bets, place your bets / On the girl in the short skirt showing off her assets." And later: "Don't be fooled by her innocent eyes / she's a wolf, she's a wolf in a sheepish disguise." Even though these aren't exactly "catchy" songs, per se, these are lines that have found themselves stuck in my head more than once. Harell does a great job in delivering lines in sometimes catchy and always interesting ways. For example, his stand-offish delivery in "Fiends" really makes the track. The chorus is also strong, and the choral lines "They say I'm addicted to the spotlight / Oh No! / I've got a feeling they may be right" are delivered perfectly.
The instrumentation really takes a step up in this album. Not only do they incorporate more instruments into the mix, such as horns in "Wolves," as well as strings and keys, they've generally stepped up their playing. The guitar work was pretty standard in their debut, and it seems that on Fiends they really step it up and create something even more interesting. Another thing that's noticeably on this album is an actual bass presence that you don't seem to find on most post-hardcore releases.
Every time I revisit this album, I'm blown away. One of the biggest things that contributes to this is just how many of the tracks are solid. I mean you've got pretty much all of them that I've mentioned, as well as almost every other track. They all find a way to shine in their own light, and unlike their debut, the tracks don't really bleed together. "Brides" is definitely worth a mention. It's got pretty much everything that makes this album shine: great vocals, great delivery, a driving riff and a catchy chorus. The vocals on "Fiends" are also worth talking about. They're basically a critique of the current "scene" and what they think of it, and some of the more powerful lines are as follow:
"I've been feeling kind of sick to my stomach / It's just a gimmick but the kids seem to love it / And if you're patient you can witness the sellout / I'm not a killer, but Hollywood's gonna drown / And if you're feeling original don't let it go to your head / It's all been done before / You're not the first one."
These lines are just an indication of the song, and overall it's got a pretty pessimistic vibe going for it. Lines like this make it no real surprise that the band would choose to break up. Of course, it's not as if they had it in mind when writing this, but this kind of outlook couldn't have been a positive force in the decision (though that's definitely not saying they're wrong). This isn't the only song where the lyrics are powerful. In any of the songs, no matter what they're talking about really, the lyrics make an impression. For example, "Janus" seems to be about our narrator having to support a loved one through a rough time. Here, the lines "I don't want to see you drown / And all my life, I've been pulling you out of the water / Oh, the waves, they keep pulling you under" speak leagues in just a few words about the condition he's found himself in.
Chasing Victory's breakup is really unfortunate. This is one of those bands that I had some serious hope for. Their debut was powerful enough, but with Fiends they really solidified themselves a place in the scene (that they seemed to have a bit of contempt for). I know I can't expect to ever hear anything more from this band, I just hope that we see their members move on to a few more great projects. It would be a shame to see the talent displayed on both their debut and Fiends go to waste.
Blindside; Idiot Pilot; one of the hardest RIYL's I've ever done
myspace.com/chasingvictory (http://www.myspace.com/chasingvictory)