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

Ten Seconds in Los Angeles
Fear Before the March of Flames Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

How he knows every wretch's death
And none of them are crystal believers.
They all shiver under fate's icy breath,
But turn their face to the seeming deceicer.
Alarm!!
To all the foul aberrations
Who feed off the disgust of the masses,
All joined together

To make a scrap of a living.
The eye sees all. The eye says so.
Behold!!
Their defective bodies in wonder,
The creeps and whores, the wicked and deformed.
Amazement paints the faces in the rickety bleachers,
They scream for more of the modern horror:
(only one creature knows their awful end)
A justified torturous completion
Of all their wrong doings and black sins
Forcasted in crystal visions,
Slouched over the clear Seeing Eye.
He marks down each death and he quivers...

How he knows every wretch's death
And none of them crystal believers.

Overall Meaning

The song "Ten Seconds In Los Angeles" by Fear Before The March Of Flames is a commentary on the nature of society and its relationship with fate. The lyrics convey a sense of disgust towards those who "feed off the disgust of the masses", referring to those who thrive on the misfortunes of others. The song also discusses the idea of fate, with the "Seeing Eye" marking down each death and the "seeming deceicer" leading people astray.

The lyrics also touch on the theme of the grotesque and the fascination with the macabre. The "creeps and whores, the wicked and deformed" are described as being on display for the amusement of the crowd. The audience is painted as being complicit in their own disgust, screaming for more of the "modern horror". The final lines of the song suggest a kind of karmic justice, with the "justified torturous completion" of wrongdoing and sins.

Overall, the lyrics to "Ten Seconds In Los Angeles" convey a sense of unease and disgust with society, with a particular emphasis on its fascination with the grotesque and the misfortunes of others.

Line by Line Meaning

How he knows every wretch's death
The all-knowing creature records the coming demise of every depraved person.

And none of them are crystal believers.
None of these individuals have true faith in anything.

They all shiver under fate's icy breath,
Each person trembles at the thought of their predetermined death.

But turn their face to the seeming deceicer.
Despite acknowledging their fate, they continue to follow the deceptive forces of life.

Alarm!!
This is a call to attention and recognition of imminent danger.

To all the foul aberrations
The following is referring to the morally corrupt entities that exist within society.

Who feed off the disgust of the masses,
They prey on the revulsion that others have for their transgressions.

All joined together
These individuals come together to form a united front against the rest of the world.

To make a scrap of a living.
Their motivation for existence is solely based on the act of scraping by and surviving.

The eye sees all. The eye says so.
A being with the ability to see everything is in control and has the final say.

Behold!!
The following event is worthy of beholding and observing.

Their defective bodies in wonder,
The spectacle in front of us is the twisted and malformed bodies of these individuals.

The creeps and whores, the wicked and deformed.
This group is comprised of individuals that engage in deviant and morally questionable behavior.

Amazement paints the faces in the rickety bleachers,
The onlookers are mesmerized by what they are witnessing.

They scream for more of the modern horror:
The audience eagerly demands more of this grotesque experience.

(only one creature knows their awful end)
The impending fate of these individuals is only known by a singular entity.

A justified torturous completion
Their death is seen as a deserved punishment that will be lengthy and painful.

Of all their wrong doings and black sins
The reasons for their punishment are rooted in their past actions, which were corrupt and sinful.

Forcasted in crystal visions,
These events were predicted with absolute certainty.

Slouched over the clear Seeing Eye.
The entity that knows everything is responsible for the fate of these individuals and is lazily overseeing the proceedings.

He marks down each death and he quivers...
The all-knowing creature somberly keeps track of each person's death and is visibly shaken by the events before them.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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