After listening to Fear Before the March of Flames's debut album, "Odd How People Shake," it became conceivable that an equally impressive sophomore effort could solidify the band's status near the top of the hardcore music scene.
It has done so.
Actually, call it "progressive hardcore." Much in the vein of Dillinger Escape Plan and Every Time I Die, Fear Before experiments with time signatures and eclectic riffs, the latter courtesy of guitarist Adam Fisher. He achieves a type of buoyancy in his melodies fit for a hip-hop club song. This is best exemplified by the bridge in "Whiskey is Alright in its Place, But its Place Is in Hell."
For his part, lead screamer Dave Marion has incorporated doom-style vocals more representative of the brutality he inflicts in his live performance. The content of his rally cries has hardly budged from the brink of absurdity.
"The fashion police are swinging their sticks," as well as "It's warm and bright when you're burning alive," are two notable examples on "Art Damage."
A sample of children cheering, heard at the conclusion of "Should Have Stayed in the Shallows," is possibly the most hilarious moment on a CD in years. The body of the song has the vocalists sweetly crooning the lines, "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls/ Let's pry open her ribs and bathe in her chest."
In addition to delightfully decadent lyrics and championship-caliber songwriting, Fear Before has also mastered the medium of album artwork. In the liner notes, each set of lyrics has a corresponding image relating to song themes. On the page opposite "The State of Texas vs. Fear Before" bears a photograph of El Paso and Houston road signs that appear to have been shot from a moving tour bus.
The only thing the group missed this time around was something along the lines of the piano solo at the end of "Odd How People Shake" or the vocal solo of "Given to Dreams" off the same album.
Sept. 15 presents the opportunity to see Fear Before's impressive and chaotic live performance - stage flops from high-standing speakers are Marion's favorite. They will be playing with Norma Jean, Throwdown, Evergreen Terrace and locals Casting Lots for Judah at Xtreme Wheels.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
