REVIEW: Fear And Wonder – ‘Beauty Is The Beast’

ARTIST: Fear And Wonder
ALBUM: Beauty Is The Beast
LABEL: None
GENRE: Post Hardcore

When people think of Texas they usually think of cowboys and country music. Lucky for post hardcore/hardcore fans that is not the only genre of music the lone star state produces. There’s a plethora of hardcore, post hardcore and metalcore groups flooding out of the state nowadays, such as Crown The Empire, Memphis May Fire, Upon A Burning Body and many more. Fear And Wonder are an up and coming post hardcore outfit hailing from the Houston area.

Fear And Wonder have released their debut EP titled Beauty Is The Beast. This is something they’ve been working on since their inception in 2012 and contains five tracks. The EP opens with the title track; The lead vocalist doesn’t have the strongest clean vocals, but the unclean vocals really make the track stand out. The real pitfall to this track though is the lyrics. The song is somewhat catchy and has the potential to be very catchy but the words they sing just don’t doesn’t do the track justice.

The instruments are what you would expect out of a post hardcore album. The guitars chugging, predictably placed breakdowns and the occasional intricate guitar line. They also include a keyboard which is incorporated into every track. Some people are not a fan of keyboards in heavier music, but the keyboards are not overused and do not overpower the rest of the band’s sound.

The unclean vocals are definitely the best element of the band. His screaming is solid and he showcases a great range in each track. “Like A Movie” is a good example of those vocals at their best. This is also one of the best tracks on the album when you consider lyrical content and the instrument parts. “Reach 2.0” would be another noteworthy track on the album. This track also contains vocals from the band’s female keyboardist, which adds a nice touch to the song. She sings in a few of the tracks and her voice in contrast with the screams and the male’s clean vocals are a welcomed element to this band’s sound.

If these guys improve their lyrical and instrumental writing they could have some good potential. This is something that will come with experience though, the longer the band writes together the better the written parts will get. Otherwise they are likely to burn out in a couple of years. While the basic post hardcore sound is still popular and will always have fans it’s the bands who manage to set themselves apart musically who really have a lasting career in this genre.

SCORE: 6/10
Review written by Kriston McConnell

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