A Truly Mighty Record
Those who are not familiar with New Yorkers From Autumn To Ashes will probably think a new band has emerged with their debut record, however those who are in the know will be astounded by the band's turnaround. Their debut release 'Too Bad You're Beautiful' initially propelled the band out of the underground and into the hands of Vagrant Records, soon after came a second release 'The Fiction We Live' and by this time their fan base had drastically risen. All was well for the band until their third release 'Abandon Your Friends' where conflicts had arisen with main vocalist Ben Perri to the point where he left the band and a record that went nowhere.
After a 5 month hiatus however FATA went to work on their 4th full length studio album 'Holding A Wolf By The Ears' and after all the turmoil it doesn't come much better than this.
All twelve tracks on this album produced by Brian McTernan, (Senses Fail, Thrice), are a fast and ferocious assault of the senses. With drummer Francis Mark taking over the job of main vocalist they have created a perfect balance between desperately frantic screams and flawless singing. These opposite styles of singing offsetting each other in such a way is something which the band, are often heralded by many, as the first to do.
Musically it takes a much darker route than their previous efforts, opening track 'Deth Kult Social Club' attacks with raw hardcore and pent up aggression, while tracks such as 'Sensory Deprivation Adventure' depict a more depressive state of mind.
The one downfall of this album is the fact that it keeps to the same time throughout, lacking the diversity of slower tracks. This however does not take away from the listening experience as the tracks do flow together in a way that the entire record is one heartfelt journey.
Lyrically some of the inspiration for 'Holding A Wolf' has come from the time in Francis Mark's life before Perri left the band. He reflects on them as 'oddly predictive' what I can tell you, is that they are simply truthful. There is no mistaking the true passion and intensity of this album and it definitely doesn't hold back, it's an invasion of melody and anger that will seize you by the throat with all its power, and there's a hell of a lot of that.
In all it is not only a surprising offering, but a mighty one at that and it will certainly reclaim many fans who had lost interest in the band and hopefully a few more along the way.