Fear Before the March of Flames - Odd How People Shake

Fear Before the March of Flames are from Aurora Colorado, and in my opinion, way too young to make the kind of music they make. At ages 19 and 20, this four-piece is playing a heavy blend of intricate hardcore/indie fusion that is more mature than their ages. I am talking about real chunky, back-of-the-throat, guttural hardcore combined with their own style of slightly raw, emotional indie rock.

Some people are going to hate this record because it is just too damn heavy in spots, and I will never begrudge anyone for that, as it is a matter of style. That being said, you can't write this band off regardless of your personal preferences. This album is by no means the best thing that I have ever heard in the genre. It doesn't rival releases by bands like Converge or Hopesfall, but as a debut, I think it is a very promising sign of what could come when the band has more than two weeks to record their next record.

Case in point is the beautifully abrasive "Given to Dreams." This song is an example of what I think they do best. It has various movements in and out of poetic verses with lyrics like "She cried when she found it, it's feathers were matted and pressed to its side, its wings were no longer able, still she begged it to fly." They do this only to slam you over the head with the naked chorus of "there will be a second knife." Combined with the musicianship, I think this song does well to showcase what this band is capable of.

I think this album is worth checking out. If you like Converge, Hopesfall, or the old Codeseven, then this album is up your alley. If you aren't convinced, you can wait until their new album comes out on Rise Records/Equal Vision in September of 2004.

(This article first appeared at RockDummy.com)

Article Author: Craig Lyndall

Craig Lyndall writes about all things related to Cleveland sports for WaitingForNextYear.com.

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