Progression in music is never an easy thing to accomplish without getting mixed reactions; the hardcore community seems to be especially critical. You're always going to have that fan base that talks about how the older material is better, which in some cases, that is true. But in other cases, development and experimentation can lead to superior songwriting and material. In the case of Belgium's Rise and Fall, you'd be right no matter which side of the argument you take.
The metallic hardcore sounds of the band's debut full-length, Hellmouth, are easily some of the best 90's revival hardcore of this decade. The band's follow-up, 2006's Into Oblivion built on this base, adding a more metal-driven approach as well as further experimentation with outside influences, giving the band a thicker and more full sound that deafened crowds around the globe. Our Circle is Vicious marks Rise and Fall's third full-length release and the band's evolution is in full force now, combining elements of hardcore, metal, post-rock, drone, and punk on one of the year's best albums.
"Soul Slayer" may last just over a minute, but it is an absolutely ripping introduction to Our Circle is Vicious, and a fitting first cut given the album's title. There is no lack of bite here as the guitar shredding of Cedric Goetgebuer is at its best and vocalist Bjorn Dossche unleashes his snarling scream with lines like "Pour the salt into our open wounds."
After a fairly typical beginning Rise and Fall showcase their varied approach and dynamic songwriting abilities with "Built on Graves." The song melds equal parts Neurosis, Entombed, and Integrity. I'm especially fond of the rhythm section on display here. Drummer J.P. Bolle and bassist Vincent Maes bring forth a destructive quake as the song unfolds. "Harm's Way" sees the band playing around with more unique instrumentation. There are a lot of non-traditional guitar melodies mixed in with your standard metal riffing; there are even some drone segments that bring to mind the Southern Lord catalog.
Even though they've taken to trying a lot of new things on this album, Rise and Fall don't abandon their roots. "It's a Long Way Down" recalls the band's early recordings with its high-octane assault. "Het Oog Van de Storm" is another menacing cut of metallic hardcore, bringing to mind "Tongued Tied" and "Where Ghosts Roam" from their debut.
It's obvious that the Rise and Fall captured on this recording isn't the same band I first heard four years ago, nor do I expect them to be. It's thrilling to hear the band delve deep and pull out songs that push the limits of their songwriting capabilities. Whether it is the five-minute dirge of "To the Bottom" or the post-rock inspired "In Circles," the quartet has found new ways to bring life to their music. The closing track, "Knowing," further implements the more adventurous style that Rise and Fall has taken on the album, showcasing a Cult of Luna or Isis-like structure of building up the song before its culmination.
Lyrically, Dossche lets his demons loose over the ten songs. Lines like "While you were falling from grace, I just smiled" from "It's a Long Way Down" and "Sleep with one eye open / Live with one eye blind" from "A Present Tense" give you a good idea of what you can expect. But there are also the introspective, such as "Our past mistakes become future fears / An empty page in our diaries," being the lone lyric from "Stillborn."
Rise and Fall have offered up a fantastic album in the form of Our Circle is Vicious. The band's evolution makes it difficult to compare their albums to one another, but then again, maybe that's the point. Each album is its own entity and should be treated as such.
