Hopesfall - A Types (10 tracks) +Album Reviews

Mediocre shadow of former glory

moxy silver | 03/02/2006

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Simply put, "A Types" varies little from the hordes of other dime-a-dozen emo records currently crowding the market. Yes, I'll give them respect for trying a different direction from their previous works. However, this new style happens to be the exact same insipid cookie-cutter sound that every other floppyhaired/lip pierced clone band out there is currently doing, only with a few spacey twists. The melodies and song structures wander and meander, in some places building tension and then abandoning the idea without resolution. Sonically, it's lukewarm- never really rocking too hard, never really getting quite as beautiful and spacey as they used to on other records.

I don't recommend this album at all, it is the lowest quality record the band has put out (which isn't surprising, considering only one original member remains). Instead, I recommend '...No Wings to Speak Of", "the Frailty of Words" or "the Satellite Years," in that order.

If you think Thursday and My Chemical Romance are the best bands ever, you'll probably like this. Which is fine, I don't care how you spend your parents' money.

Finally, Hopesfall should change their name. If George Harrison kicked Paul out after John and Ringo quit and then got 3 other guys to fill in and called the band the Beatles, there would be mass outrage and rioting in the streets."

Whitebread Mediocrity

B. Dederich | 12/08/2004

(1 out of 5 stars)

"The songwriting and overall sound of this record doesn't stand out from the hordes of other 'screamo' fashionistas currently flooding the emo/hardcore genre with banal mediocrity. The lyrics and artwork are the most interesting parts of the record, with a few notable exceptions; but even those few moments of power don't add up enough to redeem this album. It's biggest weaknesses are: 1.unfocused, ignorable melodies that meander, 2.somewhat overproduced guitar, drums and bass that for the most part have been done before by 30 other bands in this genre. The guitars [with some notable exceptions]aren't nearly as varied and interestingly textured and interwoven as past .Hopesfall. records, and the drums are rather bland as well.

The resulting songwriting tends to build tension, then abandon said tension without resolving it and halfheartedly toying with a different tension, creating an atmosphere of aimlessness. They sound like they're trying to sound 'heartfelt' [god, how I have come to loathe that phrase], but sound halfhearted instead. It sounds a bit like a watered down Thursday imitation. None of this is very surprising, considering that they've only got one original member. That said, they would do well to change their name to something else.

In summation, this album is mediocre at best, and only seems poorer when compared to the band's former work."

THIS IS NOT THE SAME BAND

Benjamin Maccarthy | CO | 11/21/2004

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Complete disappointment. Ok, it sounds good, its catchy, wow he almost makes me tear with his vocals. What happened to Hopesfall? Did their lead singer get kidnapped by a [...] $$$ robot. The big wig over at Trustkill Records must have pulled all the guys into his office one day not to long ago and said this: "Alright its clear you have talent as you showed on Satellite Years. But this time you're going to forfeit your artistic brilliance for radioplay. Its going to let down all the serious Hopesfall fans out there, but of course that doesn't matter. Make a record that won't scare away the general population with screaming and yelling. Guys, what is important to you now is $$$"

Really, it's a good album if you're an emo-head, but OG hopesfall fans have officially been let down. [...]"

Not what i wanted to hear

only~the~clouds | Manchester UK | 05/17/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I respect the fact that .hopesfall. didnt want to make a 'Satellite Years Part 2. I respect the fact that artists have to evolve as they mature, and that creative growth is more important than writing music purely to please the fans rahter then the band. But i *really* cant get into this cd. I think a large part of this is down to Jays vocals, which really dont do it for me, theyre just too nasal for my liking. He had such a powerful, and lets face it, f*cking scary, guttaral scream on The Satellite Years, i wish he'd have used it more on this cd, even if it wasnt as much as before.

A lot of reviews ive read said that it takes a few spins to really get into this album, and ive definately played this a lot of times in the 6 or so months since ive had it, hoping that one day it would suddenly seep in to my brain and id love it, but its just not happened. To me most of the songs on here just blend into one another, theres not much to distinguish them from each other, and i find this gets dull and repetetive.

Musically it falls somewhere between recent Glassjaw and maybe newer Cave In, but it doesnt have any of the driving riffs or uniqueness of those two particular bands.

Its not all bad. I like the artwork for this release, its sort of a continuation of the space theme from TSY, but there are martian/angel type creatures instead of space pods and the layout is made up of dark red colours rather then the royal blue/navy of previous. Its good to see hopesfall still put effort into choosing artwork that goes some way to compliment the music.

There are a few tracks on here that i genuiunely like. 'The Ones' is very reminiscent of the spacey guitars on TSY, and it also has a really sweet drawn ut instrumental end. Breathe from Coma, and Icarus are also decent well written rock songs which i can enjoy

However, pretty much everything which i loved about hopesfall on their earlier works isnt present on A types. Its not even really an emo album, if youre looking to compare it to bands like, i dunno, The Used or A Static Lullaby; it doesnt have any of the pop hooks that bands like that have.

Ill still continue to support the band since all of their other work has really connected with me, but unfortunately A Types wasnt as awesome id hoped. Maybe the months of anticipaction just killed it for me, but the music that made .hopesfall. so special and unique isnt here on A types."

Ending of a Genre

Michael Williams | 03/22/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Hopesfall was one of the most intricate emotional metalcore bands ever created. Powerfull vocals, certian subtle background elements and moving guitar arangements in songs like "End of an Era" and "The Bending". Everything they released was purely artistic and incredibly intricate. Then they lost their guitarist and then everything went wrong. "A Types" lacks in pretty much every way with a failed attempt. They tried for a sound that was somewhat different but This Day Forward's last piece of work "In Response" release does it in a better way. Instead, buy This Day Forward "In Response" cd and wait for the new Curca Survive April 22nd release and Marigold's first release if you want good and very orginal versions of this hybrid metalcore genre. With the break up of Sky Came Falling, This Day Forward,and Posion the Well and A Life Once Lost's failed newer work, and now Hopesfall losing their talented guitarist therefore changing their style, the old emotional metalcore is close to being dead with only a very small amount of bands keeping it alive. Now the genre is starting to be reformed, which progression is great, but some bands often sound imitating and cliche. Support the ones that do it well and different. I wouldnt say that they sold out but this cd isnt what Hopesfall was about and doesnt contain enough orginality to be entitled a more "mature" album. Just because something has screaming in it doesnt make it inmature and is often a false asumption, especially considering how much orginatly "Satellite Years" and "No Wings to Speak of" contained and there is no way to deny it unless you have a closed mind.

"

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	Hopesfall A Types Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock, Metal Track Listings (10) - Disc #1 It Happens Start and Pause Icarus Breathe From Coma Champion Beyond Blessing The Ones Manipulate the Eclipse Matchmaker's Haven Owl Per Sempre Marciamo
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