DEAD TO FALL

The only thing I remember about DEAD TO FALL's "Villainy and Virtue" (the Chicago band's second release) was that it barely left an impression on me. Not bad, not great, just kind of ho-hum metalcore that could be taken or left. As such, my expectations were not very high for "The Phoenix Throne". After multiple listens, my final conclusion is that the new disc is a better album than "Villainy and Virtue", though the vocal delivery and patterns left me wanting. What this all means is that there is a little more going on in the muscular metal of DEAD TO FALL than will be immediately apparent from a passing listen.

Much more metal than hardcore, "The Phoenix Throne" is filled with effective tempo shifts and cool chord progressions and six-string interplay, which does not translate into plain vanilla chug-and-breakdown. The main riffs on songs like "All My Heroes Have Failed Me" and "Servant of Sorrow" are somewhat atypical in the metalcore genre (and I mean that in the best possible way),yet unequivocally metal. There are certain licks that have a vague Scandinavian black metal feel about them (the majestic end of the genre),while the melodic leads and intricate six-string work deepen the impact, making the compositions shine just a little brighter. "Smoke and Mirrors", a song that seems to be an attack on fakes and trend-jumpers, features some effective lead playing. I dig the attacking tempo and the tempo downshift into crunching riff territory on "Chum Fiesta", the gang shouts of "Chum! Chum! Chum!" actually adding to the song's allure, rather than dragging it down into hardcore tedium. Beginning as an up-tempo, Swedish-tinged thrash basher, "Death & Rebirth" takes on an air of elegance with Michael Romeo's (SYMPHONY X) injection of a full orchestra and choir into the song.

Unfortunately, the scratchy metalcore vocals of Jonathan D. Hunt are what kept me from enjoying these compositions to the fullest extent. His throat-rage lacks the thickness in tone that would give the tunes more kick. Rightly or wrongly, when a vocalist's growl sounds like a hoarse, mid-range bark, it tends to turn me off and detracts from the larger composition. A bit more bite and a mastery of vocal patterns would have brought the understated melodies to the surface and accentuated the parts of those songs that were left lacking because of a so-so vocal delivery. It is a shame too because there is a lot of rage in the lyrics of these songs and a more expressive vocalist would have brought it to the forefront. The guy's style is not awful or anything and may be appealing to others; I guess it is just a personal preference. You listen to enough of this stuff and the smallest things can sometimes be distracting. In this case, it was enough of a distraction for me to drop the rating by a point or so.

Regardless, there is quite a bit to sink your teeth into on "The Phoenix Throne", especially for those enjoying the more "metal" end of the metalcore spectrum. The 10 compositions are rather well put together and though not always earthshaking, are competently delivered. Don't take my bitch about the vocals as an excuse to avoid DEAD TO FALL. At least check out an MP3 or two. I liked most of what I heard.