Review: Fear Before the March of Flames - Odd How People Shake

artist: fear before the march of flames album: odd how people shake label: rise records released: 2003 by: devin braden This is the first LP from a young band (none of whom were over the age of 20 at the time of the recording) that hadn't even been around in their current form for even an entire year. Knowing this background information, one would expect this LP to sound unrefined and immature, and yet these five guys somehow have succeeded in creating one of the most intense and peculiar albums to come out this year. The album begins with the frenetic opener "Fashion Tips Baby" that seems to simultaneously recall The Blood Brothers, Norma Jean, Hopesfall, and numerous other established and equally diverse-sounding bands. This quirky blend of styles doesn't end with the first track and proves to be one of the most charming and rewarding qualities of this release. One minute they are playing in the strangely dissonant guitar style of Botch, and the next minute they are tearing the walls down with a mid-tempo jam like Norma Jean. The playing on the album is superb and the recording quality is fantastic - the label seems to have really done a great job in funding this recording. The guitar sounds are clear and precise, and the vocals are multi-layered and capture entirely the intensity and diversity of both Adam's voice and Dave's voice. The rerecorded songs from their demo ("Given To Dreams," "On the Brightside, She Could Choke") show a marked improvement and the new tracks define a clear path as to where Fear is headed in the future. This album has few downsides, but if I were forced to pick one, I would say that the sometimes-subtle-while-othertimes-overwhelming 'emo' qualities of this release might have a tendency to make this particular band sound more run-of-the-mill than they actually are. This is a great first full-length from a band that hopefully has a strong future ahead. favorite song: "the 20th century was entirely mine" rating: 91%/100% listen to fear before the march of flames