Artist: Blessthefall
Album: Hollow Bodies
Genre: Post hardcore
Label: Fearless Records

Blessthefall have been a band for quite a few years now. They released their first full length album, His Last Walk, with their old vocalist, Craig Mabbitt (Escape The Fate), back in 2007. In 2008 the band’s current vocalist, Beau Bokan, took over and the band hasn’t been the same since.

Beau Bokan wasted no time in establishing the band’s reputation as a solid post hardcore group. He took what Craig had started and made it into something that was always a little different from the rest of the bands floating around. Though they never really broke the mold in their genre, they always released entertaining albums which focused on clean vocals the most. With their latest release though, they stepped up their game, and have a lot to show for it.

Hollow Bodies is easily Blessthefall’s heaviest album to date. They’ve had some heavier tracks in the past, but this one is definitely the heaviest overall. I can say that I am a fan of the more aggressive sound, and the increased focus on the unclean vocals. The guitarists have stepped up their game as well, which is something that you can hear in each track. They have some great musicianship, and there are a few of the guitar breakdowns that were stuck in my head more than the lyrics themselves.

“You Wear A Crown But You’re No King” is one of my personal favorite tracks. It has all of the typical elements of a post hardcore track, and well, there’s not really anything wrong with that sometimes. While the lyrics aren’t very original, the guitarists and unclean vocalist really shine on this track. “Deja Vu” was one of the first singles to be released off the album, and it’s another one of my favorites. Not because of the lyrical content though, as it’s a little cheesy at times, but because of the guitars again. The intro is one of the best on the album, and they keep up the pace throughout the entire track.

I don’t think I can write a review about Hollow Bodies and not talk about the closing track, “Open Water,” which features Beau’s wife, Lights (Valerie Anne Poxleitner). It’s a love song, plain and simple. Is that my kind of thing? No. Is it yours? Maybe. The song starts off slow (and stays slow really). Beau sings, there’s some piano, Lights sings, there’s some violins, they sing together, the end. If duets are your thing, then you might like this. I think the band should have ended on a heavy note, but I usually always think that.

While the clean vocals are still a huge part of this band’s sound, the unclean vocals have a much heavier influence this time around. They are noticeably more developed, and that has to be the biggest improvement this band has made to their music. I was never too keen on the unclean vocals before, so it’s a welcomed change. My biggest complaint with this album is some of the lyrics. They’re what you can expect from a current metalcore/post hardcore band, and being as such they aren’t that original.

While this isn’t something we’ve never heard before, it’s a good listen. If you are already a fan of the band, then buying this should be a no brainer. Even if you didn’t really like them much before, I would recommend checking out a couple of the songs off the album, you might be surprised.

SCORE: 8/10
Review written by Kriston McConnell

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Kriston McConnell

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