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Band Name: Dead to Fall
Album Name: Villainy & Virtue
Rating: 3.5 / 5 User Rating: 4.3 / 5
Label: Victory Records
Buy Album: Amazon.com
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Tracklist
1. Torn Self
2. Bastard Set of Dreams
3. Stand Your Ground
4. You've Already Died
5. Villainy & Virtue
6. Little Birds
7. Blood of the Moon
8. Cross Section
9. Master Exploder
10. Epilogue
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DTF bring a gnarling blast of deathly core, on occasion to throw in an atmospheric tone or two by utilizing electronic effects and reverberating guitars. Sporting a kick ass album cover that pits a blue eagle against a red serpent, this art is a great fit for the music contained on the album. On Torn Self the band delivers punchy riffs that reinforce the strength of vocalist Jonathan Hunt. Many might think the band to be metalcore, but the influence structurally lies more on the death metal end of the spectrum, but the record could also have a bit of crossover appeal, which is what so many acts are searching for these days. The Slayer influenced thrashing of 'Bastard Set Of Dreams' rips into some blasting blackened death. Dead to Fall will strike you as a band fully intent on devastating all within their path with a wall of punishing brutality, then change gears into electronic ambient textures that are shallow, cold and brilliant.
It would be enjoyable to have the vocals a bit more upfront in the mix at times they seem a bit buried by the axe team of Matthew Matera and Antone Jones. The speedy runs in 'You've Already Died' alternate nods between black metal and NWOBHM style playing. As a drummer, Evan Kaplan sticks to hardcore themed beats much of the time, as always, it is the drummer that lends the core to the group. He plays fast but concentrates on keeping things punchy and percussive. By providing a solid meter on the double bass hits in the title track, it places emphasis on the track's speedier sections. The gang backing vocals in this song add a lot of power to the upper-cutting riffs of the guitar duo.
Kaplan also performs the electronic elements of the album which is a big factor in the notion that this music is injected with a modern, ambient style. The introduction of 'Little Birds' adds a feeling of eminent danger as the wildly percussive strains of 'Blood Of The Moon' assail the aural senses. Justin Jakimiak offers some unique bass tones and picks a good deal of sixteenth and thirty second notes in order to fill out the band's sound. The instrumental 'Cross Section' does feature a bit of background screaming, it's dirging doom echoing from the speakers like a snippet of the soundtrack to Hell.
Dead to Fall do much to add substance to this style of metal. Their individual performances are aggressive most of the time and fiercely melodic when they need to be. Matera can really shred when he has the urge. The introduction of 'Epilogue' contains ripping as proficient as any, leading into a lamentful verse before lapsing into a darkly eerie sonic manipulation at the piece's coda. On Villainy & Virtue, you will find a powerhouse of a band that is just starting to spread its wings. Dead to Fall deliver a striking musical assault worthy of the scrutiny of the most tasteful of metal aficionados.
Review by: EF
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