A Hero A Fake
The Future Again
Released July 2012
Post-Hardcore
Victory Records
Allow me to start off by saying that I cannot stand Post-Hardcore. I regard it, along with a multitude of various other Kerrang-cover-adorning subgenres as whiny, mindless, poseur dribble. Listening to such scene bands is about as fun as bathing in napalm and then going for a roll in a lovely salt pit. Regardless, I have listened to A Hero A Fake (missing a semicolon there, lads) on their new album, “The Future Again”, and you get to read my thoughts on the matter. How very lucky.
Well, speaking positively, the production isn’t bad. The instruments are clean-sounding, and everything is well enough mixed. This is probably due to the band being instantly marketable to the hordes of scene kids that follow such music, so the label will have splashed out on a nice studio. And fair play to them, it does sound nice on that front.
But OH MERCY. Breakdowns. Breakdowns everywhere. The default “let’s be all heavy hurrdurr” breakdown makes a stunning appearance on this album. But EVERYWHERE. All is standard, chug chug guitars, China cymbals and quick bursts of double bass… nothing new, whatsoever. It just sounds repetitive, not to mention gob-smackingly unoriginal. What makes it worse is that in places, this is accompanied by the most painful-sounding, horribly generic “shout-along” lyrics… And on that note, I must say, the lyrics in general? Good Lord. It was painful. I’m sure, if this sort of thing is your cup of tea, then they must be very meaningful, but honestly? It just sounds childish to me. Not at all helped by the absolutely pathetic vocals… from what I can hear, they appear to have two vocalists, one of whom does a fairly decent scream, but the other does one of the most pitiful sounding “loud talks”. I can’t call it anything else, because he just sounds like he’s talking loudly the whole time. It’s interesting to note that when all the “Metal” press began to slate Metallica and Lou Reed’s “Lulu”, the same kids who love this music hated it. But the vocal style sounds very very similar, and is based around an Identical idea. It sounds horrific.
The artists themselves are skilled. Yes. They have the ability to play their own instruments, and do so well. But then again, it should be expected of a band to do that. Writing good music is where real talent lies, and I’m afraid there was absolutely nothing here of any particular artistic merit. For example, Quorthon couldn’t really sing, and most of the songs Bathory wrote are not particularly technically complex. But that music was brilliant, and Bathory stand out, because their songwriting was immaculate. A Hero A Fake are EXACTLY the same as every other band of their kind, and will be forgotten by next year, having ridden on the crest of what is currently fashionable, and then drowned in an ocean of mediocrity and terrible songwriting.
I’ve heard nothing today to change my opinion of Post-Hardcore, ad if that’s what you enjoy, then sure, go and spend your money on this. You’ll be delighted, because it’ll sound exactly the same as every other band you listen to, and we wouldn’t want anything different, would we?
Just don’t get annoyed when I spend MY 12 quid on something that won’t make me want to burn out my ears with my own stomach acid.
1/5
Alasdair Dunn of Norderobring
Valkyrian Music 