took a first listen to Blessthefall’s To Those Left Behind. At first glance, I noticed how heavy it was. I could have sworn that their previous effort, Hollow Bodies, was waaaay heavier. There was something that was off. I let the tracks marinate in my mind for a couple days.
Before taking another listen to the new record, I went back and listened to Hollow Bodies was more. I relived the blistering tracks of that album. Ah. So good. I then immediately turned on To Those Left Behind. I realized two things: first, it was a FAR more intense album than I had originally made it out to be. But why? That brings me to reason two: the guitar tuning. Hollow Bodies and Awakening featuring guitar tunings in C, drop D, and drop E-flat. On To Those Left Behind, the tuning is down to B. This is “recent” Devil Wears Prada-territory; it’s the heaviest and most serious album the band has produced thus far in their career.
It’s no coincidence that the band are channeling this heavier sound on the new record: they worked with Joey Sturgis at 37 Studios to bring their newest work to life, a producer that is renowned for using heavier tones and bringing out the best in an artist. They pulled out all the stops on this release, production-wise and material-wise.
Tracks like “Walk On Water” and “Up In Flames” rip with shredding guitar hammer-ons, double-bass attacks, and Jared Warth’s screaming vocals/bass lines while “Dead Air” showcases the power of clean vocalist Beau Bokan’s delivery and vocal abilities.
All in all, this is a record that shows the strength of Blessthefall as a unit: powerful, dynamic, and savage when necessary. Their songwriting is able to rise above many within the metalcore scene not just in sound quality but in overall emotional effectiveness. Another one for the books.
This has been another Shameless Promotion.