Hardcore labels these days seem pretty quick to jump on trends and quite a few release bands that you could definitely call trendy. Facedown Records is a label that you definitely couldn't say has a sound. Each band is unique and covers pretty much every subgenre of hardcore. They even have a death metal band on the label! If you are into heavy hardcore, NY style hardcore, or even street punk, Facedown is a label you should definitely look into.


Roster:

Comeback Kid
Symphony in Peril
The Deal
Nodes Of Ranvier
Immortal Souls
Indwelling
Bloody Sunday
Hanover Saints
Seventh Star
Sinai Beach
Alove for Enemies
One 21
Disciple AD
Bloodlined Caligraphy

Interviews:

Symphony in Peril Interview

The Deal Interview Interview

Sinai Beach Interview

Trauma Interview Interview

Reviews:

The Deal-Cutthroat
(Facedown, 2004)

This band totally takes me back to the days when I was first getting into punk music. The music was fast, fun and totally energetic. You don’t really hear many straight forward punk bands anymore and while this does combine a few genres, it reeks of the old school and has more in common with the 80’s then it does with the current scene.

The Deal’s sound could basically be summed up as a cross between punk rock, hardcore, oi, and rock n’ roll. Anything within the parameters of those genres works for the band. You have more mid-tempo songs with more of a rock or oi feel, while other songs kick up the tempo and remind me of early hardcore. Some of the more melodic sections remind me a bit of H20, but even that band was more of a throwback to the old school albeit mixed with some modern influences. I also hear a little bit of Sick of It All in a few parts as well. The Deal isn’t as heavy as NYHC, but they draw a bit of influence from it from time to time I’d say. This one I’d say would definitely appeal to fans of H20, Sick of It All, and Overthrow.

One of the main reasons I would recommend this band is the diversity. Within the sub genres of punk it’s hard to find a band that remains fresh from song to song. Most bands find a formula and stick with that for the entire duration of the album, but these guys pretty much change from song to song. It still has a unifying thread from track to track, but it would hard to say that this wasn’t a varied album.

I’m a huge fan of the production here. It has a raw, live sound but still sounds tight. The vocal performance is really brought out by the production. I would almost say that the vocals are a bit too out front at times. It doesn’t detract from the music, but I think the guitars could have been a bit louder though. Speaking of the guitars, I love the guitar sound. It’s powerful, yet isn’t overly distorted. Obviously these guys aren’t the heaviest band around, so they don’t need an incredibly monstrous guitar sound. This is the type of production more bands need to strive for. Full of energy yet, still tight and powerful.

While you could say this is more old school influence calling them just another old school band would be cutting them short. They do have some melodies and the vocal approach is a bit more modern. If a combination of punk, hardcore, oi, and rock sounds appealing to you, The Deal will probably be your new favorite band.

Sinai Beach-When Breath Escapes
(Facedown, 2003)

I picked up this bands debut MCD on a whim that it might be good stuff. Well it was, but this is even better. Sinai Beach play breakdown filled hardcore mixed with equal parts metal. It’s almost like a combination of say Poison the Well, Hatebreed and Shai Hulud. They have breakdown riffs and clean vocal sections, faster more chug oriented riffing and some great fast melodic sections full of octave chords and more straight forward chord progressions. It’s definitely all over the place, but the band keeps things together.

I definitely think these guys are an original band though. The bands I listed as comparisons are mainly just reference points. The breakdowns and clean sections don’t really mimic Poison the Well, but it is similar. Same goes for the other bands. It does remind me of them, but it’s not blatant plagiarism at all. The way all of the influences comes together and the seemingly anything goes attitude of the band really helps make them sound unique. They even throw in some Swedish style riffs from time to time, but know when to lay back on them. They definitely don’t overdo it like a lot of bands do.

Breakdowns are a huge part of this bands sound. Each song has quite a few breakdown riffs. Some songs are built almost entirely around them. It could get a bit old with some bands, but the songwriting helps it work here. These guys have a knack for writing riffs full of little nuances that help them stand out. They actually seem to have a fairly technical approach to songwriting. Not in the sense of a band like Dillinger Escape Plan, but more so just due to the fact that the riffs aren’t just simple three note riffs. There is a lot of substance here. Granted, there is the odd vocal melody I didn’t like, but that’s pretty much the it as far as criticisms from me with the songwriting.

I think the production might hold this album back a bit. Actually more so just the drum sound. The snare volume seems to fluctuate quite a bit, and the snare itself just has a fairly flimsy sound to it. The band still remains tight though and I can’t really complain about the guitars, bass or vocals. The mix is a bit noisy at times, but they make it work. I’m curious to hear the band with a stronger production though.

For those of you into hardcore and metal there isn’t much for you to not like here. This band could appeal to such a wide range of people that it’s ridiculous and the fact that it doesn’t seemed forced makes it all the better. It’s varied hardcore played with passion and conviction. Sinai Beach will hopefully be around for a long time to come, and with their next album should become a force to be reckoned with.

Immortal Souls-Ice Upon the Night
(Facedown, 2004)

Facedown is probably one of the last labels you would expect to license a melodic death metal album from Finland, but here it is! Immortal Souls like I mentioned are from Finland and play a melodic style of death metal reminiscent of Dark Tranquility, Soilwork and Children of Bodom.

Now that I think about it it’s actually somewhat of a stretch to call this death metal. It’s more like an aggressive combination of power metal and a bit of Swedish melody. It’s actually a lot more mid tempo then most melodic death metal bands and doesn’t really pick up the pace more then a few times throughout the entire cd. I hear the power metal influence in how there are a lot of guitar leads, and the overall melodic approach leans towards power metal. It’s actually what reminds me the most of Children of Bodom, who themselves actually have a lot of power metal influence to their sound.

Like I mentioned earlier this band is very melodic. Very few riffs will go by without a melody or twin guitar run on top. A lot of people might assume that this makes the band sound like In Flames, but I wouldn’t agree. The type of melodies just aren’t similar. In Flames has always leaned more towards the Iron Maiden side of things, and I’m not sure who in particular I’d compare these melodies to. They definitely do add a lot to the music and help the songs breath and become more then just a collection of riffs.

Guitar solos are a big part of the bands sound as well. There was a time when I was a bit tired of solos, but these are some of the best I’ve heard in a long time. The guitar player can definitely play, but he isn’t always showing off all of his talents. He lays back, and only lets it rip on occasion. If every solo was a mind numbing frenzy of notes I’d be left dizzy, but thankfully these solos are tasteful.

One of the main complaints I had at first was the lack of speed. But the more I listened the more it made sense. These guys aren’t all about speed, they have a tight approach to songwriting and keep things concise. I did really enjoy the bands faster moments, so I would have liked to see a few more, but overall it doesn’t hurt the album. You just can’t go into this expect a blisteringly fast album, and you won’t be disappointed.

If you are looking for a well written album of melodic and diverse metal then look no further. I could see fans of Children of Bodom and Soilwork especially being into this. Fans of melodic and solo filled metal take note!

Symphony in Peril-Lost Memoirs and Faded Pictures
(Facedown, 2004)

I’ve always thought to myself that it was a bit strange that Coalesce’s influence has never really shown up anywhere. Until now that is. Symphony in Peril take a bit of the Coalesce dissonant hardcore sound, throw in a bit of melody and streamlined songwriting and come out sounding like Symphony in Peril.

This is one of the few bands that manages to be chaotic and noisy yet really keeps thing together. The riffs are mainly mid-tempo but when they speed up they get pretty damned fast. We’re talking blast beat territory here. Breakdown riffs seem to explode out of nowhere into chaotic blast beats and then back into slower tempos. The songs are all over the map but they stay together and flow. There is even some melodic sections, which aren’t overly common, but they definitely help break up the songs.

I think that the vocals are one of the main reasons why I’m digging this as much as I do. The singer if you hadn’t already heard is the original singer from Zao. So he’s no slouch. I was actually pretty surprised by how much the vocals sounded like the singer from Coalesce. The singer said in an interview I did with him that the singer from Coalesce was one of his main inspirations. The thick growled vocal style really fits the style of music if you ask me. There are also some higher registered screams every now and then. I was pretty happy to not hear any clean vocals. If done well I like it, but it just seems far too overdone these days.

I would also have to say that lyrically a lot of the themes are a bit different. You won’t have to hear the same old tired relationship cliches one more time here. To be honest, you’ll definitely need the lyrics sheet when trying to decipher the vocals. He definitely didn’t make it easy on us!

For a band to come out with a debut album this good is astounding! I can’t wait to hear what the band comes out with next to follow this up with. Symphony in Peril will hopefully be a name you’ll hear about for years to come.


Contact:

Facedown Records
PO BOX 477
Sun City, CA 92586 USA

Email: General Info

Link: Facedown Records