Dead To Fall - Are You Serious?

(A part of a series of posts that will look back on 2008 albums that were well before NoiseBlog's birth)

Early 2008 saw the demise of one of the most celebrated and loved metalcore bands of the decade (feels weird being able to use that term to describe a band that I have enjoyed for a long time), Dead To Fall was a centerpiece to the metalcore explosion that took the early parts of the 2000's by storm. They never reached the heights of bands like As I Lay Dying, or Atreyu, but their appeal was hardly ever questioned in the whole of their existence.

They were a metalcore band with death metal tendencies birthed by kids with a hardcore mentality. Dead To Fall's sound was heavily influenced by the Gothenburg stylings of bands like At The Gates and In Flames with a hardcore flair and love for breakdowns. That was the Dead To Fall formula for many years.

2006's 'The Pheonix Throne' showed a stylistic change that reflected more a concern about song structure and crafting more abstract songs. This was due mostly to a large personel change within the band. The album was met with some opposition, but for the most part, it continued to expand the bands audience.

'Are You Serious?' illustrates another dramatic change in style that led to a 'rallying of the base' until the bands eventual demise. 'Are You Serious?' was for the most part a commentary on the stagnation of the metalcore scene, and a criticism of the things that many people have found bothersome for a long while. This is illustrated none better than by the first 'song' on the album 'Stupid?', which is a comical take on the process of writing a metalcore hit, ending with the chant of 'End this song with a fucking breakdown!'.

That is the basic idea of this record. They are stepping outside of the status quo of metalcore and making a fun record rather than something is serious and 'badass' sounding. While the lyrical content of the record was pretty lighthearted and fun, the music on the album is probably some of the best Dead To Fall produced as a band. There is a lot of imagination in the record and while some of it holds true to their metalcore roots, a vast majority of the record is very experimental in it's nature, and it's fantastic. They slow it down for the most part and really paint a vidid picture with the music.

This record came out a very shortwhile before their breakup in April and it's unfortunate because it is probably the most imaginative solid record they ever put out.

Dead To Fall on MySpace
Victory Records
Dead To Fall merch