The Fall From Grace

The Colours Of Change

Written by: TL on 14/07/2013 21:28:20

I'm not sure how long exactly, but I know that Odense's The Fall From Grace - not to be confused with Seattle's Fall From Grace - has been a band for a long time, and the fact that they've taken until now to release their debut full length "The Colours Of Change" speaks volumes to me of how hard it must be to get any sort of traction playing underground rock genres where they're from. Hell, from what I hear, it's hard enough around the capital city, so considering the smallness of Denmark's domestic alternative scene, it's likely a show of significant stubbornness and ambition that "The Colours Of Change" even came to be.

It's a record that has noticeably more modest production values than contemporary post-hardcore albums from larger markets like the UK or the US, meaning that while the mix is clear and crisp, the bass doesn't have a lot of power, the overall sound is very homogenous and you shouldn't be expecting much by way of extra strings or bells or whistles. This doesn't suit TFFG all that badly however, because their inspirations are clearly drawn from a time when this was more the norm for rock bands anyway, as they channel the virtues of the period of transition when trend shiftet from nu-metal to emocore and post-hardcore.

Ghosts of old material from Deftones, Finch, Thrice, Underoath and Funeral For A Friend are hence all lurking around the corners of TFFG's busy soundscape, with the noteworthy exception from all but one of those names, that the Odense trio aren't currently all too occupied with catchy, clean-sung melodies. It's a shame really, because fans of early singing by Chino Moreno and Jared Leto (or Charlie Simpson and Alex Westaway from Fightstar) should find things to like about how frontman Miki Horsbøl Petersen allows his high pitched parts to get airy and break at well-timed moments. With the exception of the deceptively catchy lead single "Static Conclusion" however, Miki's vocals have clearly not been as much in focus as it has been to write some absolutely scathing guitar parts. Completed by second guitarist Thomas Buris and bassist Mikkel Søder, TFFG cement their intentions to go against the times by making "The Colours Of Change" a raw, energetic type of post-hardcore record, driven more by passionate screams and powerful layers of guitarwork than by notions of predictable compositions, reminding me a bit of Circus Circus' criminally underrated swan song "Brooklyn Nightlife".

The downside is obvious: "The Colours Of Change" is a harder record to get into for people that don't listen for guitars before vocals, and I do think the band would do well to work some more ebb and flow into their dynamics moving forward. That said, the record still works when you pay attention, and works well at that, because there's such an unusual richness and energy to the instrumental side of it, that it isn't too hard to just get immersed in the ringing layers of melody and imagine tearing it up and screaming along in a live setting. "If Only These Walls Would Sleep" for instance, transitions so nice from breakneck speed to anthemic reverence and crumbling stops that you'll have your air guitar out before Miki has finished the opening "One for the revolution!" screams, brandishing your imaginary instrument all through the song. Other highlights would include "Funeral For An Enemy" which confirms its obvious influence within the first ten seconds, and "Our Beloved Nights", which should go down extremely well with Finch fans out there, really working a super dramatic angle similar to their "What It Is To Burn"-era material and climaxing with a nice tapped lead towards the end.

Overall, considering where TFFG is from and considering their influences, I think it's an achievement in itself that "The Colours Of Change" has even come out, but it does also sound like a product of a band having to try their very hardest to make it happen. It has tonnes of promising parts, but you get the feeling that the band had to get it all on record in a limited amount of time, and that the final product could've been even better if they had the luxury of time to spend fiddling with each part over and over to get each just a bit more polished. That's my opinion though, and if you're a "polish-smolish, let's just rock" kind of guy, then this could very well be your next neck-ache waiting to happen.

Download: Static Conclusion, If Only These Walls Would Sleep, Our Beloved Nights, Funeral For An Enemy
For The Fans Of: Thrice, Finch, Deftones, Underoath, Funeral For A Friend
Listen: facebook.com/thefallfromgraceband

Release Date 15.06.2013
Schizophrenic Inc

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