Album Review: For The Fallen Dreams – Heavy Hearts

Metalcore quartet For The Fallen Dreams from the US state of Michigan released their fifth studio album Heavy Hearts on April

Metalcore quartet For The Fallen Dreams from the US state of Michigan released their fifth studio album Heavy Hearts on April 8th via Rise Records. Bringing back their original screaming frontman Chad Ruhlig, For The Fallen Dreams promised a return to their roots.

 

This recurrent statement for many bands can both create hype and anger the sceptics amongst old fans who have their hopes set too high. 

 

For The Fallen Dreams are no strangers to change, with an impressive 25 members passing through their doors since 2003. The band seems to have landed back on track with the return of Ruhlig, who proves he is deserving of this reinstatement. Crying back to their 2008 release Changes, Ruhlig’s vocals carry this album through, interrupted with less clean vocals than the band’s most recent releases. 

 

Heavy Hearts kicks off with the single “Emerald Blue” which throws us straight into the action with Ruhlig’s growling screams of “Fight for your Life.” This standout opening proves that For The Fallen Dreams are coming back fighting with this new album. 

 

With a strong progression of thundering breakdowns and experimental sounds, there is a strong progression through the following tracks. Their sound is an effortless blend of melody and masterful mayhem which will certainly get your blood pumping and have you itching to be back in the pits. 

 

The conspicuous placement of “Dream Eater” brings a taste of clean vocals into the mix. Unfortunately this doesn’t bring much to the table and takes away from the rolling brutality of Heavy Hearts. 

 

 

Marking the midway point of this release is “Bombay” which slows down with a soaring lead, grounding the track in its melodic strength. Playing with the pacing again is “Endless,” building a climactic force with its captivating hook. It’s here that the brutal drumming of Navid Naghdi stands out, ripping through the track in a pounding ambush. 

 

Carrying us down from the rising strength of Heavy Hearts is closing track “Smelling Salt” which brings back the clean vocals in a much more organic way before echoing out in an enchanting melody. 

 

Heavy Hearts marks a great release for the band, a strong record packed full of classic metalcore breakdowns and brutality. While For The Fallen Dreams keep their promise and deliver an echo of reminiscent sound, they may have erred on the side of caution and haven’t done much to break out from the generic box. 

 

With such as easy fluidity between tracks, Heavy Hearts runs the risk of blending together. This might create an easy listen, but you begin to lose the distinguishing nature of its standout tracks. 

 

For old fans and metalcore aficionados looking to expand their collection, this is a great listen bringing For The Fallen Dreams back to their true form. Hopefully this marks their return to strength with future releases to come.