When We Fall – A Cry In Despair / 2006 Panic / 5 Tracks / http://www.whenwefall.se / http://www.panicrecords.net / Reviewed 20 May 2007

The screamed out vocal style of When We Fall works well with the breakneck speed achieved by the instrumentation. What results is something like if Raised Fist mixed with the more current scream bands. The drumming is a high point during the disc’s first track, “No Retreat No Surrended”. Despite the band’s harder edge, there seems to be a large amount of harmony pushed towards listeners. This means that individuals could easily sing along with the compositions placed on “A Cry In Despair”, while simultaneously rocking out in the hardest ways possible.

The band starts off “A Cry In Despair” strongly, and it is a foregone conclusion by the end of “No Retreat No Surrender” that individuals will stick with the band until their next track, “Fraction of Distress”. When We Fall has stylistic similarities to the acts on Kiss of Death Records; their track “Fraction of Distress” continues on with the same general sounds and styles started earlier on the disc. The band, while staying interesting during this track, seems to be resting on their laurels by the time that “Fraction of Distress” ends. The resulting music is still catchy and is more than able to tell a story, but when taken as an album, the band is starting to need more added by the end of their second track on “A Cry in Despair”. The slower strains that start off “Bishops Yard” will remind listeners of the opening of “Niki FM” by Hawthorne Heights, even if the progression that immediately follows is more new rock in scope than anything else previously heard on “A Cry in Despair”.

This track is also qualitatively different from anything else on the disc because it focuses so much more on the instrumentation than the vocals; fully a minute goes by before the vocals are given their first line. This has the effect of strengthening “A Cry In Despair”, as there is more for individuals to chew on. All in all, When We Fall is able to craft a coherent sound with the entirety of “A Cry in Despair”. There are some problems that the band encounters in creating a continually-shifting sound that will keep individuals interested, but the fact is that When We Fall can come with a punk-infused brand of hardcore that tells a story whenever it can. I would love to hear the band create a LP, just to see if they are able to follow up on the strong compositions that mark “A Cry in Despair”.

Top Track: A Cry in Despair

Rating: 6.0/10

[JMcQ]