FAME ON FIRE

Florida's FAME ON FIRE grabbed attention initially by putting their hard rock spin on Top 40 hits from artists such as ADELE, TAYLOR SWIFT, and DRAKE, but they've also spent years crafting their own sound and original music. Now, FAME ON FIRE are starting to gain momentum in modern rock and melodic metalcore. They signed to Hopeless Records in 2020 and made a splash with their label debut, "Headspace". That album was followed up by "Welcome to the Chaos", and now, FAME ON FIRE are looking to make more than a splash, let's say a wave, with their 2024 release, "The Death Card".

"The Death Card" brings together a whirlwind of sounds and styles, from serrated guitars to electronic beats to delicate piano. Musically, the album stands apart by imaginatively blending pop, rock, hip-hop beats and metal, to make for a melodic metalcore sound. Thematically, "The Death Card" is about saying "farewell" to your past and welcoming the future. It's a hopeful record with songs that make the listener feel like the suffering they've been through is over and will be replaced with a new future.

The album begins with "No Tomorrow (The Death Card)", a straight-forward track with fast, sharp guitars and melodic, soaring vocals. Bryan Kuznitz has a clean, welcoming singing voice, and he sounds angelic singing over huge guitars, but he can also scream like the best of them, as he does in here.

"Nothing Left (The Fool)" has some heavy, pulsating rhythms and electronics that make for great headbanging. Here, Kuznitz's voice stands out again, as his tenor quality is a dynamic contrast to the song's dark, heavy atmospheres. In the song, he asserts that he's "the fool" and feels "out of touch," but the song still has a positive feeling.

Unlike some of their contemporaries, FAME ON FIRE know how to strip things down and deliver an old-fashioned ballad. "Desire (The Moon)" , "Habits (Temperance)" and "Closure (The World)" offer some of those moments, as both songs have soft, pristine verses, anthemic choruses and longing lyrics. Don't be fooled, though, because this is a fairly heavy record, and songs such as "Spiral (Justice)" and "Chains (The Tower)" show off the band's heavier side. The album's closing track, "Lie to Me (7 of Swords)", is the softest and most vulnerable on the record, with Kuznitz begging his partner to tell him everything is okay and stay.

FAME ON FIRE offer an exciting mix of sounds on "The Death Card". Overall, the album has the kind of melodic and catchy sound that could really take this band into the mainstream.