Fear Before The March Of Flames

The Always Open Mouth

[4/5] On The Always Open Mouth, the members of Fear Before The March Of Flames have linked arms and jumped off a cliff into an ocean of possibilities. Not everything on the disc is powered by uzi-strafing BPMs, but rest assured, the quintet aren’t trying to reconfigure Radiohead’s Kid A for the hardcore set. Dave Marion steps up to deliver actual vocal melodies (check out the pulsing “Taking Cassandra To The End Of The World Party”) in lieu of constant throat shearing. Guitarist Adam Fisher steps up his game, with both thrashing and atmospheres that respect the songs. “The Waiting Makes Me Curious” could be mistaken for Mike Patton fronting Nine Inch Nails, while “Mouth” is the transition between Dillinger Escape Plan’s “Miss Machine” and classic post-punk (Killing Joke, the Cult), offering both melody and menace. The Always Open Mouth is probably more suited for headphone-listening than headbanging. Which is fine. Because some things are too special to be shared in a mosh pit. (EQUAL VISION) Jason Pettigrew