Before The Fall - Antibody

Before The Fall

Antibody

by Lior "Steinmetal" Stein at 19 October 2012, 1:18 AM

I asked myself numerous times following my listening sessions with this brand new album, “Antibody”, via Noisehead Records, by this Austrian band named BEFORE THE FALL: “So what else is new?” Right before I began writing this passage I have been battling with myself how to start but I found it rather hard because even though I wanted to begin with a harsh complaint, I just couldn’t, I stopped myself. Then it just hit me that I can’t really do anything about bands releasing the same material over and over again. Maybe I can just try to find the positive points and to write those up for you guys because I know that many of your probably adore stuff in the vein of new school Metal, Groove, new Thrash and Metalcore, so why ruined it for you? Just so we are in the clear, I did find this compelling in a peculiar kind of manner but then again it is far from being anything I would have recommended to Metalheads that have been looking for something more than just plain wicked riff based heaviness and repeated lines. Flawless production and devouring power aren’t everything in Metal music and I believe that this Austrian band knew that but took the route into the safest path dig itself into the ears of New American Metal fans and Metalcore sympathizers.

BEFORE THE FALL’s rather short history, unlike their monotonic displayed work on this particular album, quite impressed me. The obedience to Metalcore and Groove Metal music made them a shining beacon of light in their country and beyond. I salute them for that. On the other hand, with all their wits and talents, I can’t agree that a creation like “Antibody” is something to brag about. Sure that the tracklist harbours some intense groovy rhythms, modern Thrashy riffing, assaulting vocals that didn’t divert into anything but still smacked with gruesome power, destructive rhythm section, but when everything closed down, I remained by myself feeling virtually nothing. I tried to understand this band’s version of anger towards everyday life and I got some of it, but in overall, nothing here really made any difference. What was intriguing was that the music actually went forward according to the emptiness that songs offered. BEFORE THE FALL came forward to bash skulls like late PANTERA (minus the lead guitars), destroy like a fashionable version of SLAYER (The band even ripped off a part of the main riff of “Raining Blood” on the song “Destroy”) and kick down with full force like HEAVEN SHALL BURN or SHADOWS FALL. In general, aside from a standout cuts on “On Your Knees”, “Prepare The Way Before Thee” and “Crucified Perdition”, tracks that even presented a few melodic harmonies that virtually haven’t never been a part of BEFORE THE FALL’s agenda, and that is a drag because it could have made me, and possibly others, interested even more aside from dull bombastic rhythms, the material of “Antibody” is more or less empty of content, just kicking around and being angry about the world.

“Antibody” tutored me once again that you don’t have to be utterly powerful or great in the studio on the production end in order to show your worth. On the other hand, I think that even in order to achieve what BEFORE THE FALL did on this album, and probably on their other releases, demanded musical talents. The fact that the band chose an samey without concentrating on bashing than to beautify their efforts, it is their own endeavour and I really hope that they would take their material into a more constructive form because they the abilities to do just the same.