It’s completely natural for a heavier sounding artist to get even heavier with their future releases. But a lot of those heavier releases lack depth, or that element of what made that band so unique in the first place.
Yet Blessthefall never seems to lose that element. Ever. Really, I didn’t think that it was possible for a band to truly get heavier and continue to possess the unique and original qualities they’ve always had. But dear god, “Hollow Bodies” knocks it out of the park. Several times.
“Hollow Bodies” starts off with Exodus, filling our ears with bit samples and electronics. But we can feel that something is building up. Something is about to happen. You can sense it. Then, BAM. The band is firing on all cylinders, with no clear intent of slowing or having any mercy on its audience. The dual guitar work of Eric Lambert and Elliott Gruenberg rip through the track, with drummer Matt Traynor leading the band behind the double-bass-heavy drums. Bassist and vocalist Jared Warth screams with more intensity than ever before. Lead vocalist Beau Bokan’s vocals are hard-hitting and complement every verse and chorus perfectly.
This time around, BTF went into the studio with producer extraordinaire Joey Sturgis (The Devil Wears Prada, Of Mice & Men, Asking Alexandria). Sturgis has a knack for truly bringing out the best in bands, and making their albums unforgettable in the greatest way possible. The collaboration and hard work between the band and Sturgis is incredibly evident, and has produced a wonderful, truly spectacular listening experience.
In addition, the band recruited several guest vocalists this time around. Jesse Barnett of Stick To Your Guns (“Youngbloods”), Jake Luhrs of August Burns Red (“Carry On”) and synth-pop artist Lights (“Open Water”) all make guest appearances throughout the record. Sometimes, bands will choose superb guest vocalists only for the sake of having guest vocalists on their record. It doesn’t always work. In this case though, it works extremely well. Barnett, Luhrs, and Lights are featured on tracks that showcase their vocal talents to the best of their abilities, and fans old and new will truly enjoy hearing their parts come into play on this album.
It seems very cliché to call a band’s work “more mature than the last”, as it’s natural for every artist to grow as they progress throughout their career. But in Blessthefall’s case, you can hear the maturity and growth in their songs. “Hollow Bodies” makes it very clear that Blessthefall is here to stay. For a very long time.
Pre-Order “Hollow Bodies” on iTunes here! https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hollow-bodies/id672839120?uo=4
“Hollow Bodies” will be available in stores on August 20. You can keep up-to-date on all of the latest news from Blessthefall at www.facebook.com/blessthefall
This has been another shameless promotion.