HOPESFALL

Band: HOPESFALL

Genres: Rock / Space Rock / Emo / Polished Radio Friendly "Post-Hardcore" /
            Actual Post-Hardcore / Metalcore / Amazingness
Related artists: N/A.
Country: Charlotte, North Carolina USA
Years Active: 1998-2008, 2011
Song: "April Left With Silence"
Album: "No Wings To Speak Of"
Year: 2001
Label(s): DST Records / Trustkill Records / One Day Savior Recordings / 
This post's artist is from the January 2014 Mix. This is track #9.
You can download the January 2014 Mix#1 right here.
For fans of: In Reverent Fear, Thrice, Thursday, Sed Non Satiata, Poison The Well,
                  From A Second Story Window, Crestfallen, Hum, Shai Hulud, Milanku,
                  Old Man Gloom, Amanda Woodward, Tel Fyr, Llynch, Back When,
                  Finger of God, Amber, Norma Jean and Cave In.

Let's drink from the flask of truth for a second, shall we? HOPESFALL influenced many bands we love today, and even if you don't like them now, they were essential for progressing the idea of heaviness with melody across the more mainstream punk spectrum in the early 2000s. Songs like "The Bending", "Waitress", "April Left With Silence" and "The End Of An Era" are all songs that will forever be fucking unbelievable. These two albums, 'No Wings To Speak Of' and 'The Satellite Years', have not seen the rust of age and wear, as they continue to entice me to stop whatever I'm doing and air guitar, headbang or start screaming. (all 3 simultaneously is not uncommon)

Unfortunately, when Doug left the band during the writing for 'The Satellite Years' it marked a departure from the band's aggressive sound and a mad scramble to find a progressive sound. The last 2 albums have almost no screaming and are focused on melodies, instead. Usually in an auto-tune and cheesy kind of way. In fact, I'm refusing to post a song from 'Magnetic North' because that album leaves a sour taste in my mouth and I don't want you to waste your time. To each their own, but I want no part of that hunkajunk. At least on 'The Satellite Years' the singing was done tactfully and didn't seem forced. Even on "Decoys Like Curves", which was one of the albums strongest tracks and contains clean vocals for more than 1/2 of the song, the screams are wrenching, believable and placed perfectly. This band, along with the likes of In Reverent Fear and Poison The Well were able to properly mix screaming with a bit of (talented) singing. The lyrics are superb (albeit with some overly religious overtones) with my favourite coming from their EP's 2nd track - "Silence was the last word she spoke...so here's to sleepless cold and dreams of insecurity."

Here are some thoughts primarily on 'No Wings To Speak Of', as I have many. It's also tied for my 2nd favourite EP of all time.
*The EP sounds like a ridiculously refined Shai Hulud with moments of Cave In and Hum. In fact, some of this isn't far off from Sed Non Satiata, Tel Fyr or Amber.
*The part just before the 2-minute mark in "Open Hands To The Wind" always makes me visualize the movie American Beauty because I'm a weirdo. I don't know, it just sounds like the intro music, I guess.
*Listen to the start of "The Far Pavilions" when the guitars have the clean, almost screamo-y sound to them, then they tease you with a heavy palm-mute - just to bring you back to the clean Saetia/Off Minor riffing and then shit explodes and it's a constant, melodic, driving, thrashing breakdown. That is the EP. Epic, beautiful, devastatingly heavy and engaging as hell. Ha. Hell.
*The band's artwork during the 2001/2002 period was amazing. Or perhaps I've attached myself to these particular images over the others - as they may be the same artist for all I know.

Apparently they got back together for a reunion show with the all-star lineup back in 2011, but I didn't hear anything about it at the time. So, in conclusion, professor. HOPESFALL blended the melodies of space-rock and pop-punk with some extremely heavy and technical post-hardcore/metal. Need I say more? Nah.

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DISCOGRAPHY

Click )==>here<==( to download the band's complete discography in mp3 form.

1999 - The Frailty Of Words cd/12"LP

2001 - No Wings To Speak Of cd/10"EP

2002 - The Satellite Years cd/12"LP

2004 - A Types cdLP

2007 - Magnetic North cdLP

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(1999) HOPESFALL - "Shines Through" (from 'The Frailty of Words')

(2001) HOPESFALL - "April Left With Silence" (from 'No Wings To Speak Of')

(2001) HOPESFALL - "The End Of An Era" (from 'No Wings To Speak Of')

(2002) HOPESFALL - "Waitress" (from 'The Satellite Years') live w/old singer?

(2002) HOPESFALL - "The Bending" (from 'The Satellite Years') Official Music Video

(2004) HOPESFALL - "Per Sempre Marciamo" (from 'A Types')

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HOPESFALL out-of-print discography mp3 download (not inlcuding 'Magnetic North')

(download here)

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