After their first two mildly successful Victory Records releases Volatile and Let Oceans Lie, progressive metalcore band A Hero A Fake unleash their brand new CD The Future Again and hope that the third time is really the charm and takes them to the 'big time'. Musically speaking, there's lots to like here on The Future Again, but even if the band is upping the ante as far as musical complexity and dexterity in hopes of attracting a more mature and sophisticated crowd, their choice of vocal styles and short song lengths still targets them to the younger modern rock audience.
Not that there's anything wrong with short, compact song structures mind you. It's just that A Hero A Fake are adding in some smart, complex riffs and blazing leads & fills along with intricate rhythms to many of the songs here, and then just as you really start to get into the impressiveness of it all the tracks just as quickly end, leaving you scratching your head. The longest song, "Princess of the Sun" clocks in at just over 4 minutes long, and contains some pretty impressive thrash styled riffery and lethal growls, as well as some crushing breakdowns, ultimately being one of the most fleshed out songs here. Much of the rest are short and sweet little progressive metal/metalcore ditties, with the band throwing in growls, screams, and sugary emo crooning (which frankly sounds completely out of place), making for a rather schizophrenic listening experience. If they want to be looked at in the same light as a band such as Between the Buried and Me they really need to give us a little more than this.
Make no mistake about it, A Hero A Fake can play, and play real well, but until they figure out how to combine their impressive chops with songs that make a lasting impression, these 25-30 minute CDs they are churning will just be forgotten in a sea of countless other acts doing mostly the same thing.
Track Listing
1. Mechanical Heart 2:32
2. Dead and Done 3:32
3. Port Hole 3:20
4. Wild Fires 4:01
5. The Constant 4:02
6. Wasted Miles 2:38
7. I Have A Knife 3:21
8. Princess of the Sun 4:19
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