Since 2006’s ‘The Misery Index: Notes from the Plague Years’, Boysetsfire have managed to break up and reform, and ‘While A Nation Sleeps’ marks the first new material from the band since that reformation.
The album comes across a little like the band aren’t sure what they want to sound like, often jumping between genres, but fortunately everything they do jump between is done rather well. what’s notable very early on is that ‘While A Nation Sleeps’ isn’t the sound of a band going through the motions. Boysetsfire have gone balls out here with some of the heaviest music that they’ve made, and the entire record is full of riffs. They’re offset strangely well by the almost hair metal melodic vocal parts and harmonies, and though that won’t appeal to everyone, it’s certainly a meaty listen. ‘Until Nothing Remains’ opens the album with some its biggest riffs, and ‘Closure’ follows with a sort stadium sized hardcore sound that perhaps best exemplifies the above in terms of how the melodies are put together.
The album bounces between this giant sized rock and pure hardcore riffs throughout, and this eclecticism certain makes it a varied listen. Some might be a little surprised at just how stadium rock it gets in places (see: ‘Phone Call’, ‘Never Said’ and ‘Reason To Believe’), but this changing between styles never serves to mess with the listeners to much to much it unlistenable, and it ends up being far more interesting because of it. In parts like the chorus on ‘Save Yourself’ and the whole of ‘Wolves Of Babylon’, the show versatility and a set of fine ideas (that sometimes compliment each other where they really have no rights to), and the musicianship overall is excellent as well.
When Boysetsfire returned, many assumed that’d it’d be for a few shows only, but with ‘While A Nation Sleeps’, they seem to have signalled that they’re going nowhere. We’re looking forward to see the tracks live in the near future, and as a little bonus, you can find a brief track by track description of the album from the guitar Josh Latshaw at the bottom of this article!
TOM AYLOTT
1. Until Nothing Remains- I think this was the first song written for the new record. I think it may have set the tone for the whole record and it is really fun to play live.
2. Closure- Was called Let It Go until we put Let It Bleed on the record and thought that having two let it’s was ridiculous. And yes we know it sounds like Toto. We love Toto.
3. Heads Will Roll- Heads Will Roll has been around for years and years but we were not exactly sure what was missing. Turns out it just needed a fresh perspective and came out pretty rad. Oh and fuck religion.
4. Phone Call- Demos of this song has been in various stages have been circulating the internet for a while. It is a pretty simple love song, done BSF style so sad and bumming.
5. Everything Went Black- another happy little tune about the end of the world. Hey dummies the honey bee is dying and no-one cares. Whatever. We need a predator.
6. Save Yourself- This is a song I am pretty sure my mom would like. Not that my mom has terrible taste in music but you know. Good mid-tempo rocker.
7. Reason To Believe- Some songs are written in a half hour. Some take longer. This took over a decade but I am pretty stoked on the result.
8. Far From Over- early versions of this song were called CBB for Crazy Bad Brains. Chaotic metal
9. Let It Bleed- A Casting Out song that Nathan felt deserved another voice.
10. Never Said- Every once in a while we write a song that makes you feel like its all gonna be ok.
11. Wolves Of Babylon- Dude its metal and the title is WOLVES OF BABYLON!!! COME ON!
12. Altar Of God- Longest song we have ever done. I think the bridge has thirty parts in it.
13. Prey – Why not end on a positive note? Because we are BoySetsFire….and we usually don’t.