“The Forever Lie” is a recently released EP
from Canadian band All Else Fails. If the warning signs aren’t going off in
your head already from the band’s name, then I’ll confirm the unfortunate news:
this is a metalcore EP. And like many bands in this style, All Else Fails is
frustrating because they have things that they do completely right, but they
waste little time ruining any moments of magic. The opening song is a great
example, as it gets going with some acceptable growling, but it isn’t long before
a whiny, out of tune clean vocalist comes along to ruin anything good the band
had going. This is a common theme throughout the album: in the band’s more
aggressive and brutal moments, they succeed at making something passable to the
average metal fan. These sections are not to last, however, as it appears to be
an inherent flaw of this style of music to have a really bad singer all over
your music.
Beyond just the vocals, All Else Fails
captures the other common elements of metalcore: melodeath-esque riffing and
melodies (which are actually the best moments of the EP), and plenty of
breakdowns. Fortunately, the breakdowns are primarily limited to the guitars,
meaning that the music doesn’t totally break down, but All Else Fails is at
their best when playing actual riffs. “The Sons of Plenty” is the sole
highlight of the EP for this exact reason: the first 40 seconds or so unleashes
a fury of thrashy riffing that appeals to even the most narrow-minded metal
fans (i.e. me). This section does later return, but can't salvage the entire song.
As much as I’d like to harp on about the
flaws of this EP, it really is just your standard metalcore release. Everything
that is bad about it are the things that make that subgenre of music distinct
from metal, and the reason why so many of us dislike it. Even if you dig one of
the better bands of the style like Killswitch Engage, this is unlikely to hold
your attention unless you really love the style.
Highlight
"The Sons of Plenty"
Final Rating
2.5/5 or 50%.
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