Albums

Album Review: blessthefall

Album: His Last Walk
Label: Science/Ferret Music

First formed in 2004 by drummer Matt Traynor and guitarist Mike Frisby, blessthefall played with interim members winning local battle-of-the-band-contests which spurred them into evolving as musicians and refining their sound. Influences from across the board from Underoath, Alexis On Fire, As I Lay Dying, aswell as aspects of pop, hip-hop, rap and even R&B surfaced in their songs. A gigantic myspace following showed they had already made a massive impact and this, last year’s debut album, only served to propel them further into the limelight. With a huge tour on the horizon it’s time to remind ourselves of it’s merits.

Vocalist Craig Mabbitt has since left the band but is present on this album and his almighty range is immediately apparent as he shifts from lilting serenades to incendiary, lung-bursting screams. This is backed up by big, dirty drums which do battle with echoing crash and ricocheting ride cymbals whilst splintering guitars stutter into melodic interplay sweeping from left to right.

‘Guys Like You Made Us’ features thundering double-kick and biting, snapping guitar whilst conversely roared guttural and pining rise and fall vocals weave emotional patterns. There’s a sudden drop-out into shifting orchestral strings and plucked guitars before the track descends back into mayhem. ‘Rise Up’ has an arpeggio guitar providing the back-fill to bullet snares and piercing vocals before the breakdown gives the impetus to push through into a melodic wash. The inclusion of subtle keyboards on the softer tracks, like ’With Eyes Wide Shut’, add an extra dimension and allow Mabbitt’s vocal to really show off it’s full potential. This collection of cleverly-constructed and obsessively well-produced songs lacks only the hooks from which to snag their prey. There’s plenty to admire if you like you’re emo a bit screamo and you could do worse than catching them on the Taste Of Chaos tour. It kicks off on 29th February in Denver, CO, and continues through March and April taking in over 30 shows right across the U.S.

For fans of: Funeral For A Friend, Hawthorne Heights, Thrice
Band links = blessthefall

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Tags: album, cd, blessthefall, blessthefall, review, his last walk, hawthorne heights, alexis on fire, taste of chaos

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