Fear Before the March of Flames (now known as Fear Before) is an experiment… Read Full Bio ↴Fear Before the March of Flames (now known as Fear Before) is an experimental post-hardcore band from Aurora, Colorado, formed in 2002. Their initial sound carried out on their first two records was closer to a melding of screamo, hardcore, and metalcore, drawing influence from the likes of Converge, The Blood Brothers, and Botch. Some even considered them during this time period to be mathcore because of their technical riffs and song structure.

They released their debut album, Odd How People Shake, in 2003 on Rise Records, and after gaining some notoriety, were signed to Equal Vision Records, who re-released their debut in the January 2004. Their debut was primarily in the vein of post-hardcore, featuring a mix of screamed vocals on the part of David Marion and clean singing provided by Adam Fisher. The instrumental work on Odd How People Shake is best described as typical of that of most melodic metalcore artists of the day, and it is rumoured that every song on the album is based on a movie ("Sarah Goldfarb, Where are Your Manners?", for example, is supposedly about Requiem for a Dream, while on their sophomore album, Art Damage, "The Story of the Curious Oysters" has more to do with the Disney movie, Alice in Wonderland). It is interesting and worth noting that the band's cover art on all three of their albums feature skyscrapers.

Their sophomore album, Art Damage, was released on Equal Vision Records in September 2004, and was a marked change in direction for the band. Art Damage as an album was much heavier and darker than their debut; the band left behind the relative simplicity and, arguably, tiredness of the instrumental work of their debut in favor of the abrasiveness characterizing bands such as Converge and Every Time I Die. In addition, virtually all of the vocals are screamed, with the exception of an odd chorus or verse.

The critical consensus seems to favor their new direction, and in concert, the band plays few if any songs from their debut. On their website, they explicitly state that they will not play one song in particular from their debut, "On the Brightside, She Could Choke;" interestingly enough, this song also has the most prominent elements of emo of all the songs in their catalogue, which could be one of the reasons they have grown so adverse to playing it.

Their new album, The Always Open Mouth, was released on Tuesday, September 19, 2006. This album marks a considerably different sound from previous recordings. This album contains a much more experimental side, such as more emphasis on antiphony between the lead singer and guitarist and a considerable lesser amount of screaming. It features layered guitar chords (a second guitarist was added to the band before the recording of this album), and many electronic sounds used with heavily-distorted or otherwise-effected guitars and synthesizers, or sequencers and drum machines, giving it a more industrial feel. As a result, it is not as hard or fast as their previous two albums, but instead, is more experimental and well-crafted.

With newly added members and a new approach at performing music, they set off on numerous tours mid-2006 to promote their latest CD The Always Open Mouth, touring with bands such as Thursday, The Number Twelve Looks Like You, HeavyHeavyLowLow, The Jonbenet, and the Radio Rebellion Tour with bands The Fully Down, The Confession, blessthefall, Misery Signals, Between the Buried and Me, and headliners of the tour Norma Jean. During a show on November 4th in San Diego, California, bassist Mike Madruga accidentally hit singer Dave Marion on the side of his face with the headstock of his bass, knocking him unconscious on stage. When he awoke, there was a hole that went all the way through his cheek, and although the band continued to finish the set, he had to be rushed to the hospital to be treated for the injury, and because of this, the band missed the following 3 days of the tour, but Dave is now fine and has finished the rest of the Radio Rebellion Tour.

On 2008]-09-09, Fear Before the March of Flames officially shortened their name to Fear Before.

Current line-up

* David Michael Marion - vocals
* Adam (Rupert) Fisher - guitar, vocals, keys
* Michael Madruga - bass
* Clayton (Goose) Holyoak - drums

Former members

* Billy Johnson - guitar, keyboards
* Brandon Proff - drums
* Zachary (Binks) Hutchings - guitar

237
Fear Before the March of Flames Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

As it pours, down the wall
Now it comes, through the hall
Everyone is, brilliantly shining
Everything is, shining bright
It gets worse, through winter
Don't make a sound, the end is here
When it floods, bail like hell
Don't make a sound, the end is here

I must be losing my mind
Let it shine, let it shine this is me this is me now I'm home
This is me, now I'm home
I must be losing my mind

I'd sell my god damn soul for this to last forever
I'd sell my god damn soul for this to last, I'm home

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Fear Before The March Of Flames's song "237" convey a sense of impending doom, as water floods through the wall and hall. This flood symbolizes the release of pent up emotions and feelings that have been building up inside of the singer. The shining of everything and everyone represents the overwhelming intensity of these emotions, which are both beautiful and terrifying. The line "I must be losing my mind" suggests that the singer is overwhelmed by these emotions and may be struggling to cope with them. The repetition of the line "Don't make a sound, the end is here" emphasizes the sense of finality and inevitability of this flood of emotions. The closing lines, "I'd sell my god damn soul for this to last forever, I'm home," convey a sense of comfort and relief that comes from finally being able to fully express oneself.

Overall, "237" is a song about the power and intensity of human emotion, and the consequences of bottling it up for too long. It's a warning to not ignore or suppress these feelings, as they will eventually come bursting forth and possibly overwhelm us.

Line by Line Meaning

As it pours, down the wall
Water is gushing down and streaming along the wall

Now it comes, through the hall
Water is flowing into the hall from somewhere outside

Everyone is, brilliantly shining
All people seem to be happy and confident

Everything is, shining bright
Everything looks beautiful and vibrant

It gets worse, through winter
The situation gets progressively worse particularly in winter

Don't make a sound, the end is here
Stay quiet, this could be the end

When it floods, bail like hell
Escape as quickly as possible when flooding occurs

Don't make a sound, the end is here
Be silent, this may be our ultimate demise

I must be losing my mind
I have started to doubt my sanity

Let it shine, let it shine this is me this is me now I'm home
I'm not afraid to be myself, and now that I'm in a place that feels like home, I am letting my true self shine

This is me, now I'm home
I have finally found my home and I am at peace

I must be losing my mind
I am again feeling doubtful about my sanity

I'd sell my god damn soul for this to last forever
I value my happiness in this situation so much that I would do anything to make it last eternally

I'd sell my god damn soul for this to last, I'm home
I am so happy and comfortable in this place I've found, and I would give anything to stay here

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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