OKComputer1016
03/11/09, 08:31 AM
Fear Before The March Of Flames – Always Open Mouth
Record Label: Equal Vision
Release Date: September 19, 2006
The moment a band decides to head in a new musical direction, fans tend to feel isolated and disappointed. When the Smashing Pumpkins moved toward electronic music with Adore, as Billy will still point out today, their time in the spotlight was over. When The Ramones tried to embrace the ‘hardcore’ revolution with songs like “Animal Boy”, people stopped caring about them altogether. Most rock fans are far from Democratic when it comes to new releases from their favorite bands.
But Always Open Mouth shows us that change can be a good thing too. A complete 180 degree turn from the math-rock masterpiece Art Damage, Always Open Mouth borrows more from modern indie bands like Minus The Bear than Coalesce, focusing on expression above technicality. For example, in “Taking Cassandra to the End of the World Party”, everything but percussion drops out for one of the most intense moments on the record. Subtleties like that give the album its haunted, desperate air, and there’s not a track on here that doesn’t captivate.
Fear Before [the March of Flames] contemplate the problems that face today’s younger generation, from suicidal thoughts on “The Waiting Makes Me Curious” (“Just like I came into this world / all by myself I will leave it”), to over-medication on “High as a Horse” (“There’s no need to talk when we have medicine / There’s a pill for every fucked up child.”)
Every band in the hardcore/metal/whatever-you-dub-it scene has chipped away at the heavy/light cliché, but this is really nothing like any album you’ve heard before. There are layers upon layers of sound, so that each listening is a rewarding experience. And even the vocals themselves are indescribable; the shouting during the choruses (such as on “High as a Horse”) is so vulnerable that it sounds like one or more voice boxes may be on the verge of collapse. It’s a wholly emotional ride from start to finish.
It’s all framed perfectly, too: the opener “Absolute Future” foreshadows the closer “Absolute Past” (with the two songs sharing lyrics and a melody), with all of the songs in between more-or-less flowing into each other. Part of the appeal comes from the enigmatic packaging: the liner notes are full of headshots of confused youths, while the lyrics themselves can be found in a tiny booklet sealed underneath the plastic jewel case.
So, although some fans might be disappointed by how different the album is from its predecessor (seeing as the only song on here that sounds like Art Damage is “A Gift For Fiction”, and that one’s buried toward the back of the album), those fans should spend a little bit longer with it, and wait for the music to really reveal itself. Always Open Mouth is incredible. It’s passionate and creepy, and the moodiness is so thick it is almost tangible coming from the speakers. Recommended whole-heartedly as the soundtrack to loneliness and/or despair, it’ll drop jaws in amazement.
Recommended If You Like:
…I’ve never heard anything that sounds like this album… Recommended if you like excellent production and attention to detail.
Judge For Yourself:
www.myspace.com/fearbefore
Record Label: Equal Vision
Release Date: September 19, 2006
The moment a band decides to head in a new musical direction, fans tend to feel isolated and disappointed. When the Smashing Pumpkins moved toward electronic music with Adore, as Billy will still point out today, their time in the spotlight was over. When The Ramones tried to embrace the ‘hardcore’ revolution with songs like “Animal Boy”, people stopped caring about them altogether. Most rock fans are far from Democratic when it comes to new releases from their favorite bands.
But Always Open Mouth shows us that change can be a good thing too. A complete 180 degree turn from the math-rock masterpiece Art Damage, Always Open Mouth borrows more from modern indie bands like Minus The Bear than Coalesce, focusing on expression above technicality. For example, in “Taking Cassandra to the End of the World Party”, everything but percussion drops out for one of the most intense moments on the record. Subtleties like that give the album its haunted, desperate air, and there’s not a track on here that doesn’t captivate.
Fear Before [the March of Flames] contemplate the problems that face today’s younger generation, from suicidal thoughts on “The Waiting Makes Me Curious” (“Just like I came into this world / all by myself I will leave it”), to over-medication on “High as a Horse” (“There’s no need to talk when we have medicine / There’s a pill for every fucked up child.”)
Every band in the hardcore/metal/whatever-you-dub-it scene has chipped away at the heavy/light cliché, but this is really nothing like any album you’ve heard before. There are layers upon layers of sound, so that each listening is a rewarding experience. And even the vocals themselves are indescribable; the shouting during the choruses (such as on “High as a Horse”) is so vulnerable that it sounds like one or more voice boxes may be on the verge of collapse. It’s a wholly emotional ride from start to finish.
It’s all framed perfectly, too: the opener “Absolute Future” foreshadows the closer “Absolute Past” (with the two songs sharing lyrics and a melody), with all of the songs in between more-or-less flowing into each other. Part of the appeal comes from the enigmatic packaging: the liner notes are full of headshots of confused youths, while the lyrics themselves can be found in a tiny booklet sealed underneath the plastic jewel case.
So, although some fans might be disappointed by how different the album is from its predecessor (seeing as the only song on here that sounds like Art Damage is “A Gift For Fiction”, and that one’s buried toward the back of the album), those fans should spend a little bit longer with it, and wait for the music to really reveal itself. Always Open Mouth is incredible. It’s passionate and creepy, and the moodiness is so thick it is almost tangible coming from the speakers. Recommended whole-heartedly as the soundtrack to loneliness and/or despair, it’ll drop jaws in amazement.
Recommended If You Like:
…I’ve never heard anything that sounds like this album… Recommended if you like excellent production and attention to detail.
Judge For Yourself:
www.myspace.com/fearbefore