From Autumn To Ashes – Holding A Wolf By The Ears

In all honesty, I’m probably the wrong person to be reviewing this album simply because I’m not a fan of the whole genre. No matter how many CDs I get by different artists trying to make their way in the screamo scene, I just can’t get into it – and most of the time I can’t separate one band from another. From Autumn To Ashes‘ triumphant return fills me with the same feeling; although this time I will say that the album is definitely well crafted – and that alone means it deserves some credit.

The instant Deth Kult Social Club kicked in I instinctively rolled my eyes and knew what I’d be getting. Heavy breakdowns and blood curling screams, Holding A Wolf By The Ears was just going to be another generic screamo release, and for the most part it was. It’s rather predictable as you get the same feel to every song which eventually merges them all together. It’s an album that would fit nicely on Equal Vision‘s roster between Chiodos and Between The March Of Flames. Now people who are into the screamo scene will probably drool at the opportunity of hearing another release like it, I, however, tend to skip over it.

That’s not to say there aren’t a few places that impressed me on here. Because every time drummer turned lead singer Fran Mark experiments with his vocals, I become very happy. I’ll be one of the first to admit that he has a very good scream (the kind of scream Sonny Moore wishes and thinks he has) but it’s when he leaves the scream behind to go for a more singing oriented delivery that really impresses me. Then, with his nasally and off-pitch vocals, Holding A Wolf By The Ears becomes an album that I would love to hear more off. If there were more tracks like Daylight Slaving or Underpass Tutorial on the album it would most definitely get a higher score as those tracks are able to create a nice balance of screams and singing vocals but with a heavier emphasis on the more melodic output in a very similar fashion thatSenses Fail‘s Buddy Nielson groomed on their latest output. The screams are still there, but there’s more control and the singing vocals are able to carry the band forward whereas the screams alone would have just left them in the pile of mediocrity.

While the vocals are the defining aspect of the album for me, that’s only because From Autumn To Ashes are otherwise very competent. The music is well written and well produced, the mixing is nicely leveled and they aren’t controlled by the hardcore standards of chugging guitars constantly and are still able to maintain a sense of urgency and furiousness. The biggest reason this album gets a low score is because it’s simply not for me. The whole screamo fad rarely appeals to me, Holding A Wolf By The Ears doesn’t either. There’s a few tracks that I’ll return to, but it mostly blends together thanks to it’s lack of diversity. Still, one of the better releases in the genre as of late, so full props to them for that.