Blessthefall – ‘To Those Left Behind’

Arizona rockers Blessthefall have been knocking about for a few years now. Those years have seen them go through line-up changes, which saw vocalist Beau Bokan take over from Craig Mabbitt, the current vocalist of Escape the Fate; play various tours, supporting the likes of Alesana, Norma Jean, Dance Gavin Dance, Silverstein, and more; play Warped Tour on numerous occasions; and release three critically-acclaimed albums.

Now, the quintet are back again with their latest offering, ‘To Those Left Behind’. Produced by Joey Sturgis (The Devil Wears Prada, Asking Alexandria, Of Mice & Men), this album is due to be their third that will be released via Fearless Records.

And from the start, these guys know exactly how to reel new and old fans alike in. Tracks such as ‘Decayer’ and ‘Looking Down From the Edge’ are bold, vibrant, and exhilarating, filled out with saucy guitar licks and dynamic drum work. They’re powerful and full of a swaggering confidence, which comes across so very well throughout the course of this album, particularly during ‘Against the Waves’ and ‘Condition_Comatose’.

The vocal play between Beau and bassist Jared Warth is fantastic – Beau’s clean vocals, which simply shine and elevate tracks like ‘Up In Flames’, contrast brilliantly with Warth’s guttural and incredibly powerful screams. The lyrics are very staunch, and are full of mirth within the same track. Lines such as, “Don’t drag me though your nightmare/don’t tear apart what I am/You’ve got your demons/they parallel mine/You’ve not the victim/you’re my parasite” are staggering.

Title track ‘To Those Left Behind’ brims with fiery adrenaline, with blistering riffs and gigantic vocals laced through. Then, in stark contrast, is ‘Departures’ which, despite holding plenty of bite, feels tinged with utter sadness and hurt. That’s the beauty of Beau’s vocals – they can take listeners on a rollercoaster of emotions, from feelings of elation to complete bitterness and anguish.

Even though metalcore is fast becoming a rather boring genre, Blessthefall don’t let that fact deter them. If anything, it gives them more fuel, passion and determination to create tracks that are big and strong, tracks that will get circle pits opening left, right and centre at their shows. And ‘To Those Left Behind’ has achieved it, in all its electrifying glory, showing that Blessthefall are still a force to be reckoned with.

JESS TAGLIANI