Fall Behind - Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Not only did Alienacja implode and Sunrise call it quits, Fall Behind also folded recently. Writing about defunct Polish metalcore bands somehow seems quite sad, but that’s the breaks. As far as I can tell, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea was the band’s only album.

Truth be told, I don’t like much of it. It’s extremely harmonically conservative, a mixture of metalcore and Swedish melodeath that makes me want to punch people, and not in a good way.

But there are reasons why each time I hear this album, I make it all the way through. First, it has really earnest samples from Waking Life. I haven’t seen that movie, and I’ve only heard horrible things about it, but soundbites from it give this album a sense of youthful defiance. Second, it has energy. It reminds me of how Darkest Hour (until its last album, anyway) plays metal, but with a scruffy vibe that comes from hardcore. These kids meant what they played; they weren’t some corporate construct with swoop do’s.

Most importantly, I hear potential. Hear those key modulations at 2:34 in “Dead End Street”? Cookie-cutter metalcore doesn’t do that. It’s more of a black metal move. The closing instrumental is also lovely and not typical metalcore. “In Colours” begins with indie rock/emo guitars that are kind of interesting. Even though I don’t especially like the vocals, their inflections totally stick in my head.

In other words, these kids had the right instincts. They had good music in them. They just needed time to learn more scales. But they split and left an album that comes with amazing artwork that fits the “dehumanization of existence” theme. This CD is worth it for the liner notes illustrations alone. What were a bunch of kids from Grudziadz doing quoting George Bernard Shaw? Maybe I like this album more than I realize. You can find it at Interpunk.