Pop music with heavy guitars? In the case of Phoenix Arizona based band Blessthefall, I’d almost go so far as to say ‘boy band with heavy guitars.’ And double bass drums. That’s about where they sit. The vocal melodies/harmonies, between the heavy sections, are saccharine sweet, and the five blokes in the band look like they’ve spent hours in consultation with stylists and hairdressers, to get their look, which walks a fine line between bad boy, emo and metal kid, just right. On top of all this, the lyrics and artwork are engineered just right, to ensure they appeal directly to the goth, emo and metalcore kids.
In fact, the term ‘heavily engineered’ is an especially apt one, when discussing this band, and many of their ilk. If there was a TV talent show specifically designed to create a metalcore band to appeal directly to the disaffected 14-20 age group, it would look and sound exactly like Blessthefall.
All that said, credit where credit’s due. This band, and the people behind them, do an excellent job. They know their target market, and they’re milking it for all its worth. They have the metalcore formula/balance down to an absolute tee. The songs are heavy, melodic and gothy/atmospheric in precisely the right doses, as well as eminently mosh and bouncable, and the production is almost impossibly huge, slick and glossy. They even bring just a touch of electronica, so that they may possibly appeal to the techno/dubstep kids and eccy-heads as well.
If there is a guidebook for creating metalcore that is virtually assured of worldwide success, then these guys are following each and every word. In fact they’re probably writing it themselves, or at least contributing strongly to the 2013 version. If you’re a metalcore kid, and don’t like Blessthefall, then you’re probably dead.
6.5/10
Reviewer: Rod Whitfield