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From Autumn To Ashes: Who Let The Wolves Out
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For the past three years, the great cloud of uncertainty had been overshadowing Long Island metalcore heroes FROM AUTUMN TO ASHES. Now, with a new captain and an explosive enthusiasm, they're ready to create mushroom clouds of their own design. Story: D.X. Ferris When you consider the multiple implosions that hammered From Autumn To Ashes over the course of their last two records, it's not surprising that drummer-turned-frontman Francis Mark found inspiration for his band's latest album while floating in a sensory deprivation tank. "It's really great," he enthuses, from his Brooklyn, New York, apartment. "All of a sudden, problems that seemed so perplexing have a simple solution." Perplexing problems are something FATA have had plenty since the band stumbled into success six years ago. Now the solutions are ridiculously obvious: The people who didn't want to be in the band are no longer in the band. And the guy who wrote all the lyrics and sang half the vocals has become the band's frontman. But before floating in the black and brine, Mark-as chronicled on "Sensory Deprivation Adventure" and "Daylight Slaving"-had been sinking. The title of the new album, Holding A Wolf By The Ears, is a reference to the gloomy frame of mind that overtook him. "It means that you've really gotten yourself in over your head," he explains. "When you're holding a wolf by the ears, there's no way out of it. You don't have the strength to hold on, but as soon as you let go, it's going to devour you. We've been at war as long as we've been a band." Before FATA fell into some of the same traps that have ensnared every dysfunctional band in the history of rock, they were the sultans of screamo, the model of popular modern metalcore. The combined aural assault of singer Ben Perri and Mark (the emotive-singing drummer) was something new in those days, and soon they were controversial stars who helped open hardcore's doors to former Limp Bizkit fans who discovered punk via Hot Topic. Their 2001 full-length debut, Too Bad You're Beautiful, became one of Ferret Music's bestselling releases, setting the band up for a deal with Vagrant Records (home to Dashboard Confessional and benefiting from the mighty distribution power of Interscope Records) for 2003's The Fiction We Live. "All of a sudden, the style of music started to get much bigger than anybody intended or expected it to," Mark remembers. "For some of the guys, it was a little more than they had signed on for. You still have a job, girlfriend, work, family. And all of a sudden, you're swallowed up by the machine of the music industry: You're doing real tours, you never see your friends and family again, and it's a shock to the system." In January 2005, the lineup of Perri, Mark, bassist Josh Newton and guitarists Brian Deneeve and Jon Cox-recorded their next disc, the prophetically titled Abandon Your Friends with producer Garth Richardson (Atreyu, Rage Against The Machine). While the band were writing music, singer Perri stayed in his room where he wasn't, contrary to his assurances, writing lyrics. Mark stepped in and penned words for Perri, and the band finished the disc-barely. "It tore us apart," says Mark. "We went into the studio in great spirits, and it was the captain of the team letting you down as much as he possibly could." By the time Abandon was finished, the group weren't excited about the disc; once it was released, neither were their fans or critics. Abandon's sales stalled short of 100,000 when the limping band dropped off the metal-heavy Sounds Of The Underground tour that summer. Short fall tours didn't stoke their collective fire. A five-month hiatus followed, and a little more than a year ago, everyone involved were convinced the band was over. "It's really discouraging," recalls Deneeve, who joined his friends in August 2001. "You start to realize that people don't care about it as much as they did two years ago. [Eventually] we decided to fire our management, regroup and take another look at it. We realized that we were all friends and really enjoyed being in a band together." Well, most of them did. The band signed onto the 2006 Vans Warped Tour, with guitarist Rob Lauritsen replacing the departing Cox. Consistently strong sets reminded crowds why the band were so popular in the first place. After completing Abandon, Mark couldn't imagine recording with the band again, but the tour significantly rejuvenated them enough to head to Baltimore, where they tracked demos with producer Brian McTernan (Converge, Thrice) at his Salad Days studio. Mark, Deneeve and Newton-who were joined by Darkest Hour guitarist and longtime FATA buddy Mike Schleibaum for three songs-reworked their new material while waiting for Perri to arrive. When Perri remained absent for nearly a month, Mark started penning extra lyrics. "Up until the morning I started tracking vocals, I thought he was coming down there," Mark remembers. "We had sent him a bus ticket and spoken to him the night before, and he said he was excited and ready to go. And the next morning, he sent us an e-mail saying he wasn't coming." Drama! Suspense! For the rest of the story, pick up a copy of issue No. 226. |
