The End of an Era

It's quite ironic that I'm writing about the downfall of one of my favorite bands during the renaissance of this site, but I thought this was an appropriate way to start a new era by talking about the end of another.

Hopesfall, one of my favorite bands of all time, recently broke up. To many of you, this is old news. But I just found out about this within the last few weeks, and I think it's worth taking a little time to reminisce about the band.

The first time I heard Hopesfall, I was still getting into the whole underground rock scene. I had never heard such an amazing combination of ferocious hardcore and gentle melody before, and I was hooked from the beginning. For a good year, I listened to the No Wings to Speak Of EP on a daily basis. I couldn't get enough of it, and I salivated for the band's upcoming full-length release that I had been hearing about. That release turned out to be The Satellite Years, an instant classic that combined the passionate sound from the EP with a suave space rock touch.

To me, the band could do no wrong. Hopesfall was at the top of its game. It didn't matter that the band was going through lineup changes. The sound was still there, and it was evolving into something truly special. When I got word of a new release, entitled A Types, I was awaiting a genre-redefining effort. This was sure to be an album that would obliterate my playlist and earn a permanent place in my everyday catalog.

In reality, A Types turned out to be a colossal disappointment, a blatant attempt to penetrate the mainstream. The hardcore. The organic song structures. The soul of the music. All gone. In their place, a tried-and-true amalgamation of tired melodies and hard rock inspired vocals. Hopesfall's last release, 2007's Magnetic North, attempted to bring the sound back to a more aggressive place. But it too was uninspired and simply, not Hopesfall.

In the end, Hopesfall wasn't Hopesfall. The band had gone through myriad member changes. The last lineup did not include one single member that was involved in No Wings to Speak Of. A pseudo-reunion was attempted last year, when Adam Morgan returned to the band. But the reunion was short-lived. Once 2008 hit, the band imploded.

While this may read like a tragic obituary, I do want to celebrate the achievements that the band accomplished. Hopesfall will always be remembered for the sound it created in its melodic hardcore heyday, which inspired a new generation of bands. The chorus effect-driven guitars will live on in mp3 players around the world and in the hearts of those who will never forget what truly made this band special.

I only have one thing to say to Hopesfall: thank you.



Hopesfall performing The End of an Era, one of my favorite songs ever and the song that defined No Wings to Speak Of.