For the Fallen Dreams - Six (2018)Release ID: 31117
Modern metalcore seems to have discard the hardcore side of the genre, but bringing it back is the perfect triumph of For the Fallen Dreams' 6th album, aptly titled Six! You'll definitely want to stay awake for this d*mn glorious offering. This band founded in Michigan by guitarist Jim Hocking, has had almost as many lineup changes as Canadian thrash band Annihilator since forming in 2003. Their first two albums, Changes and Relentless are two of the best metalcore albums I've heard, though their quality would fall out of line in the poor Wasted Youth. They've toured and borrowed parts of their sound from bands like A Day To Remember, The Ghost Inside, and Norma Jean.
After a 4-year gap, the band consisting of Chad Ruhlig (vocals), Jim Hocking (guitars), Brandon Stastny (bass), and Navid Naghdi (drums) have gone back up to the top while standing by their new direction. There are 10 songs here that will get you pumped up and feeling strong, one of which is actually how I discovered this band, which we'll talk about it once we get there.
The explosive first track/single "Stone" is worth singing and screaming along to, especially in that massive chorus with layers of power from their heavy metalcore/hardcore sound. It is a true blessing to remind us about what metalcore used to be and revive the earlier scene. Stomping in is "The Undertow" with sonic synths to fit in with the pummeling heaviness, in a similar vein to the mid-2010s Bring Me the Horizon and The Word Alive. Moving along is "Unstoppable", which I find more motivational and catchier than that Sia "anthem". Headbanging verses and anthemic choruses will make you feel invincible.
Another stomper, "Forever" can turn a hellish nightmare into a heavenly dream with the bass and synths enhancing sludgy breakdowns. A mix of dark, ethereal, and heavy, all in one! Soaring through is "Burning Season" in the chorus that alight an upbeat yet melancholic flame. "Two Graves" has more sonic atmosphere, as the verses stampede into serene choruses that drift into different dimensions.
"Ten Years" is the song that caused to be interested in this band, via one of my earlier Revolution playlists. Holy f***ing h*ll, I love this furious fire! My brother has listened to a few songs from this band around the time of this album's release, but somehow I never got around there until that playlist. Exploding into some more of the catchy melody is "Hypnosis". Also blasting in is "Void" with a catchy chorus for the live crowd to sing along to, "Some days you feeling like running away". Then we have one final metal storm in "The Storm", having explosive fury that then calms down with gentle piano in the end.
The 2010s was really when metalcore was having far more emphasis on metal than hardcore, but don't get me wrong, I love that kind of metalcore too. Thanks to For the Fallen Dreams, the hardcore side of metalcore that was lost after the early 2000s is in the process of restoration. The modern atmospherics of Bring Me the Horizon and The Word Alive fit perfectly with the b*lls-out hardcore of early Eighteen Visions like a glove. Altogether some killer heaviness not to be skipped!
Favorites: "Stone", "Unstoppable", "Forever", "Ten Years", "The Storm"
