Fallingice - Meatsuit

Artist: Fallingice
Title: Meatsuit
Genre: Hard Rock
Release Date: 16th July 2010
Label: UKdivision Records



Album Review

FALLINGICE is from Italy and has been well known since 2001 for their hit ‘Another Day’. They gained further reputable status by earning a spot in the Meeting of Independent Labels line-up which is supposedly one of the biggest events / fests of the Italian metal scene. Consecutive tours after earned even more of a following, and then in 2007 FALLINGICE had their first debut EP, ‘Lymph’, produced. This was basically the icebreaker which gained them their current label, UKdivision. Of course, in between 2001 and 2007, the band had evolved not only in musical style, but also in band members. Bem and Fab were newly introduced to the band for bass and drums, as Vice was the only original member as the vocals and guitars. It seemed that FALLINGICE had finally found their equilibrium and found it in their creative minds to release ‘Meatsuit’, which has been dormant for far too long.

The album opens up with ‘Unclear’ offering an even tempo, clean vocals with some rawness in the way of emotion to them, and a grunge / depressing tone. The best comparison that can be given to FALLINGICE is the alternative rock band, SMILE EMPTY SOUL. The vocals are similar - agony-wracked, flat, and have a bit of whine to them, especially, when screaming, but not annoying in any way. The guitars offer some rough melodies with the drums and bass in the background adding some crunching support. Overall the track is well orchestrated without using the same melodies over and over while mixing up the chords and riffs with string pickings. ‘Another Day’ is taken from their first release, and has more of a RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS in groove sound mixed with SOUNDGARDEN’S raw power. It is very catchy and understandable why this track was such a hit in the first place. Vocals are much more raw and intense. It is on ‘Inner Confusion’ where things start to dip a little bit. The vocals, for some reason, seem tired and cracked because the vocalist screams too much, and when he does scream, it overtakes the music. From what bits and pieces listeners can hear, the music is full of buzzing riffs mixed with some melodic bits. The drums offer some very easy going, but effective beats, and the bass is unfortunately lost in everything for the most part.

The vocal issues are probably the only problem with ‘Meatsuit’, but fortunately he doesn’t have that whining scream on all the tracks. ‘Breathing Machine’ has an excellent hard rock structure that matches the vocal intensity so the instruments can be heard right up there along with the screams. ‘Hands in Chains’ somehow gives the vocals a sudden transformation and that raw, throaty pitch is gone for most of the track. Amazing, he can sing again, and it doesn’t sound half bad! The music is still hard and grungy, sounding like something SEETHER or PUDDLE OF MUDD would do. ‘Desired’ slows things down again with a very depressive tone, but this is a good thing because it doesn’t require the vocals to be so intense, allowing a softer, more melodic tone to the vocals. When the song does get heavy, it adds a bit of dynamics not only to the instruments but also the way the vocals go from rough to soft, like the rolling waves of the ocean. ‘Memories’ is a great alternative rock cruncher that draws some influences from NIRVANA for the guitar work, but the hard rock riffs is certainly FALLINGICE to the core. ‘Too Bored To Die’ is downright modern metal with plenty of distortion and screaming, but due to the screaming being a bit overdone, FALLINGICE made sure to end on a better note.

The closing track, ‘My Cold Heart’, features the perfect balance that makes FALLINGICE so good. The vocals raw parts are gone, the guitars keep of their melodic strings during the verses and trade for harder chords in the chorus along with the bass, and the drums plod away with a simple, but effective formula. Each well placed beat is a thousand times more effective than a thousand in a thirty second time frame. Overall, the album is worth checking out for fans of alternative rock or grunge. The music is balance between depressing and angry, but fortunately always dynamic and adventurous. While the vocals may get on fans’ nerves a bit, one cannot deny the lyrical power they invoke. The vocalist seems to know the right times to use the softer vocals versus the screaming, and if one listens to the lyrics carefully, they go hand in hand. Hopefully their next album by FALLINGICE will be just as dynamic and a bit cleaner in sound.


Tracklist

01. Unclear (4:06))
02. Another Day (2:52)
03. Inner Confusion (4:00)
04. Soap Bubble (4:14)
05. Breathing Machine (3:31)
06. Hands In Chains (5:16)
07. Desired (4:54)
08. Teenage Boy (3:28)
09. Memories (5:16)
10. Too Bored To Die (4:56)
11. My Cold Heart (4:22)


Line-up

Vice - Vocals and guitars
Bem - Bass
Fab - Drums


Website

www.myspace.com/fallingice


Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 8
Sound: 7
Extras: -
Total: 7.5 / 10


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