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
Complete and Utter Confusion...
Fear Before the March of Flames Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lock the doors and close the windows
We hear it, we see it, you better believe it
We try it, then buy it, and some of us breathe it
The slick dark men in their slick dark suits
Are gonna take your children away
We ask for less, they give us more
Mr. and Miss, there is a cure
It's better now
Is it better now?
Kill the head before the body is infected
Better now
Is it better now?
Spare the body before the mind gets the best of..
And now we God bless this nuclear family!
(A picture-perfect American standard)
And so it's "God bless this bouncing new baby!"
(Raised in a world that's all sugar, sex and money)
Can you sense the sarcasm in my tone?
(Just take it, adjust it)
Chances are it suits you well
Tell me what it is that you fear the most
(We'll take it and use it)
Put it on the radio
The lyrics to Fear Before The March Of Flames's song Complete and Utter Confusion seem to be a commentary on the constant flow of information and misinformation that we are bombarded with in modern society. The first few lines describe a man from the afterlife trying to sell hope, likely a reference to religious figures or spiritual leaders trying to offer answers in a confusing world. The call to lock the doors and close the windows suggests a fear of being led astray or manipulated.
The lyrics then go on to describe the way in which we consume information and ideas. We hear and see things, try them out, and some of us become devoted to them. The slick dark men in suits who want to take children away may represent those who try to manipulate and control us. However, the lyrics also suggest that there is a cure and that things are better now. This could be seen as a reference to progress or advancements in technology and medicine.
The chorus seems to be a call to action to protect ourselves from the negative effects of the world around us. We should kill the head before the body is infected, meaning that we should stop negative influences before they take hold. The final lines of the song suggest that even our most cherished values and experiences are subject to scrutiny and criticism, and that our fears and desires can be used against us for the sake of entertainment or profit.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a man from the afterlife at the door trying to sell us hope
Someone is trying to sell us false hope
Lock the doors and close the windows
Let's protect ourselves from this deception
We hear it, we see it, you better believe it
We are aware of what's happening and we must not ignore it
We try it, then buy it, and some of us breathe it
We are easily influenced by what we see and hear
The slick dark men in their slick dark suits
There are people who seem trustworthy but are actually harmful
Are gonna take your children away
They have intentions of taking advantage of us or our loved ones
(I bet you bought that)
You probably fell for it too
We ask for less, they give us more
Our demands are ignored and we are given more than we actually need
Mr. and Miss, there is a cure
They are trying to convince us of a solution that may not actually work
It's better now
They claim that things are improving
Is it better now?
But is it really?
Kill the head before the body is infected
Let's stop the root cause before it affects us further
Spare the body before the mind gets the best of..
We must not let our thoughts and emotions control us
And now we God bless this nuclear family!
They try to portray the perfect American family
(A picture-perfect American standard)
But it's all just an image
And so it's "God bless this bouncing new baby!"
They are even using babies for their agenda
(Raised in a world that's all sugar, sex and money)
But the world they're growing up in is far from perfect
Can you sense the sarcasm in my tone?
I am expressing my disappointment and frustration with the situation
(Just take it, adjust it)
But they expect us to accept it and conform
Chances are it suits you well
They know that many people will fall for their tactics
Tell me what it is that you fear the most
They want to use our fears to manipulate us
(We'll take it and use it)
And they will take advantage of it to further their own agenda
Put it on the radio
They will spread their message through any means necessary
Contributed by Maya R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
DoodleNoodle26
this song is literally perfect, by far the best off the record. two blistering minutes that manage to push out so much so cleanly
Dead HospitalSushi
This song is incredible
Hork Porkler
We ask for less, they give us more
Knite Lite
4 comments.... This is how I KNOW the world is completely backwards. This is SOOO good. I love Fear Before. Always will.
istabbnoobs
<3