Fear Before the March of Flames

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Fear Before the March of Flames
Fear Before the March of Flames performing live
Fear Before the March of Flames performing live
Background information
Origin Aurora, Colorado
Genre(s) Experimental rock[1]
Post-hardcore[2]
Metalcore
Mathcore
Years active 2002–present
Label(s) Equal Vision Records
Associated acts The Glass Ocean
Orbs
Website http://marchofflames.com
Members
David Michael Marion (vocals)
Adam Rupert Fisher (guitar/vocals)
Mike Madruga (bass)
Zachary Hutchings (guitar)
Clayton Holyoak (drums)
Former members
Brandon Proff (drums)
Billy Johnson (lights, guitar)

Fear Before the March of Flames (sometimes abbreviated as FBTMOF[3], Fear Before[4] or March of Flames) is an experimental rock band that resides in Aurora, Colorado. They released their debut album Odd How People Shake in 2003 with a re-release in January 2004, second album Art Damage in September 2004, and third album The Always Open Mouth in September 2006.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Odd How People Shake (2002-2003)

In 2002, Fear Before the March of Flames was formed in the Denver area with vocalist David Marion, guitarist/vocalist Adam Fisher, bassist Michael Madruga, and drummer Brandon Proff.[5] The band took their name from a local newspaper headline when wildfires swept through their state. The band drew inspiration from bands such as Botch, Converge and The Blood Brothers in creating their music.[6]

Once signed to Portland based Rise Records, the band released their debut album Odd How People Shake in July 2003. They gained notoriety outside of Colorado from tours with bands such as The Blood Brothers and Hopesfall.[5]. However, it was on tour with the band Bear vs. Shark in which they were noticed and then signed to the more prominent Equal Vision Records, who re-released their debut in January 2004.[7] Their debut was primarily in the vein of post-hardcore, featuring a mix of screamed vocals on the part of David Michael Marion and clean singing provided by Adam Rupert Fisher. It is rumoured that every song on the album is based on a movie ("Sarah Goldfarb, Where are Your Manners?", for example, is supposedly about Requiem for a Dream).

In concert, the band plays few, if any, songs from their debut. On their website, they explicitly state that they will not play one song in particular from their debut, "On the Brightside, She Could Choke;".

In exception to their October, 30 2007 show in Houston, TX where they played an acoustic set that included "On the Brightside." Due to a loss in the drummer Clayton Holyoak's family, the band decided to play an acoustic set because they would be at a loss of percussion.

[edit] Art Damage (2004-2005)

From late July 2004 to mid August 2004, the band played with Evergreen Terrace and I Killed the Prom Queen on the Radiotakeover Tour. The band also played select dates with Norma Jean in August and October as well. In August, the band recorded a live EP at The Epicentre in San Diego, California, titled Live at the Epicentre, which was later released in September.

Their second album, Art Damage, was released on Equal Vision Records in September 2004, and was a marked change in direction for the band. Art Damage featured "a much more straightforward, significantly harder style."[8] Different from the earlier material, FBTMOF changed from the original indie post-hardcore sound to more of a mathcore based sound. The video for the single "Should Have Stayed in the Shallows" was filmed in the same basement as the one used in the film Fight Club[9] and was heavily rotated on MTV2's show Headbanger's Ball.[4]

Through April of 2005, the band toured with Underoath and The Chariot. The band also played on the Sounds of the Underground tour on Midwest and Southeast dates.

On October 18, 2005, Immortal Records released the soundtrack for the Masters of Horror television series. Fear Before the March of Flames provided a previously unreleased song "237" for the soundtrack which took its name from the infamous room number from the film, "The Shining." It was featured in the credits for the Tobe Hooper directed episode Dance of the Dead.

[edit] The Always Open Mouth (2006-2007)

In June 2006, the band played 7 Angels 7 Plagues Reunion Show, and in August they went on to play at the Dirt Fest.

Their third studio album, The Always Open Mouth, was released on September 19, 2006. Fischer explains that the title of the album to people who act like "an all-knowing superbeing from another realm sent here to save us all or b): a fucking loud mouth bigot. They are The Always Open Mouth."[4] This album marks a considerably different sound from previous recordings, containing a much more experimental side with more emphasis on antiphony between the lead vocalist Marion, and guitarist and vocalist Fisher, and a considerable lesser amount of screaming. It is described as "boldly experimental and brimming with musical complexity"[4]. The band has gone onto reply to fan response that found the album to be a large departure from the sound of Art Damage by stating that they "just wanted to do something we hadn't done before."[7] MTV featured a commercial for the album, showing internet character the "Daniel P. Walthers (aka The Tourretes Guy)", who cursed and complained about the volume.[1]. The first single off of the album was the song "Taking Cassandra to the End of the World Party", and a video was also filmed with director David Bell. The song references the Greek legend of Cassandra, a woman who possessed the gift of prophecy, but was cursed by the fact that no one would believe her tellings. Proff left the band to pursue a teaching career and drummer Clayton "Goose" Holyoak, guitarist Zach Hutchings, and guitarist/keyboardist Billy Johnson were added.[5]

From October 2006 to December 2006, the band played with previous tour-mates Norma Jean, and Between the Buried and Me, on the first ever Radio Rebellion Tour. On November 4th, 2006 in San Diego, California, during a performance for that tour, bassist Madruga accidentally hit vocalist Marion on the side of his face with the headstock of his bass, knocking him unconscious on stage. When he awoke, there was a hole that went all the way through his cheek, and although the band continued to finish the set, he had to be rushed to the hospital to be treated for the injury afterwards.[10] The band missed the following 3 days of the tour. Marion had a full recovery and finished the rest of the Radio Rebellion Tour.

In March 2007, the band played a portion of the Russian Circles Plan Midwest Tour and played one day at the Appalachian Annihilation Festival. That month as well, the band again changed their lineup. They stated that Billy Johnson (touring guitarist) left the band due to personal reasons. Johnson seems to have left on good terms. Fear Before the March of Flames had finished a summer tour where the A Little Less Teeth EP was initially sold, later available for download on various websites. The band recently finished a tour with 65daysofstatic and This Will Destroy You.

Since late 2006, the band had planned to release a DVD titled Absolute Past, Absolute Future with an estimated release date in Spring 2007. The DVD would cover the band's touring before they recorded The Always Open Mouth and the two months spent in Seattle recording the album. Fear Before the March of Flames explains that the DVD will not be "random live footage from four years [...] followed by random live footage from three years ago".[7] Absolute Past, Absolute Future would be presented in documentary form, telling the history of the band chronologically.

[edit] New Album (2008-Present)

On the January 2008 issue of Alternative Press, the band was featured as having one of the most anticipated albums of the year, which should be out in Fall of 2008. They are doing a tour with I Am The Ocean before heading to Seattle to record the new album with Casey Bates on June 15th. Claims have been made that the album was to be titled 'Ergotism And Its Effect On The Human Psyche', however Adam Fisher confirmed in an interview that this was a lie. He also said that they were hoping for an tentative October release. [11] At recent local shows, the band has played new songs titled "Low", "I'm Fine Today", "Jabberwocky." and an extended version of "Epic Song"

[edit] Members

[edit] Current line-up

[edit] Former members

  • Billy Johnson (touring musician)- guitar, keyboards, lights, etc. - Left for personal reasons, according to a bulletin posted on the band's MySpace.
  • Brandon Proff - drums (Was in The Glass Ocean for a short period afterwards) - Left to pursue his education and a relationship.[7]
  • Mat Clouse- guitar - Left to attend college at SNU after Odd How People Shake, credited with guitars on the album's lyric booklet. According to an interview with Brandon Proff he was "not in the band anymore" after the album.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Full Length

[edit] EP

[edit] Live

[edit] DVD

[edit] Music Videos

  • "The 20th Century Was Entirely Mine" (Odd How People Shake)
  • "Should Have Stayed in the Shallows" (Art Damage)
  • "Taking Cassandra to the End of the World Party" (The Always Open Mouth)
  • "The Waiting Makes Me Curious" (The Always Open Mouth)
  • "My (Fucking) Deer Hunter" (The Always Open Mouth)

[edit] Songs on Compilations

  • "Rise 2003 Sampler"(Rise Records, date unknown)
    • Track unknown: "A Shoreline Perspective"
  • Rise 2004 Sampler (Rise Records, May 2004)
    • Track 3: "Given To Dreams of What Shall Never"
  • Take Action! Vol. 4 (Sub City Records, September 2004)
    • Disc 1, Track 13: "Consequences David, You'll Meet Your Fate In The Styx"
  • Equal Vision Winter 2004 Sampler (Equal Vision Records, 2004)
    • Track 3: "The State of Texas vs. Fear Before"
  • Equal Vision Warped Tour Sampler (Equal Vision Records, 2006)
    • Track 1: "Lycanthropy"
  • 2004 Vans Warped Tour Compilation (MCA Records, 2004)
    • Disc 2 Track 13: "On the Bright Side, She Could Choke"
  • Take Action! Vol. 6 Disc 1 (Sub City Records 2007)
    • "Taking Cassandra to the End of the World Party"

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Fear Before the March of Flames: The Always Open Mouth - PopMatters Music Review
  2. ^ Fear Before the March of Flames: The Always Open Mouth - PopMatters Music Review
  3. ^ Fear Before the March of Flames / Heavy Heavy Low Low / The End. punknews.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
  4. ^ a b c d Artist Info. Equal Vision. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
  5. ^ a b c Biography. allmusic.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
  6. ^ Fear Before the March of Flames Bio. The Gauntlet. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
  7. ^ a b c d Fear Before the March of Flames. absolutepunk.net (2006-12-21). Retrieved on 2007-10-12.
  8. ^ Art Damage. punknews.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
  9. ^ Fear Before The March of Flames New Video, Tour Dates. metalunderground.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
  10. ^ FBTMOF Singer Seriously Injured by Bass Guitar. metalunderground.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
  11. ^ DailyDischord interview Retrieved on May 7, 2008

[edit] External links

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