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
What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas
Fear Before the March of Flames Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When morning comes, you'll know exactly what comes next
Silence
If you beg for wings you'll only get shot down
If I resided in clouds, would you come live with me
Float high above all the cares in the world
When it rains you close your eyes
Burns your heart nearly as bad as your tears
So watch me drive
Together in our finest moments, forever apart
Home with my eyes closed
Live this dream one last time
What is life with hope of tomorrow?
Live this dream one last time
What is life with no hope?
If angels landed and took me with them
Show me the heavens just to drop me to hell
We made it, and maybe it's better you never open your eyes
Live this dream one last time
What is life with hope of tomorrow?
Live this dream one last time
I died from every hope
The first two lines of "What Happens In Vegas Stays In Vegas" express the idea that we put a lot of stock in goodbyes - often, we cling to them for much longer than we should, imagining better futures that may or may not come to pass. However, when morning comes, reality hits, and everything they said goodbye to is gone. They're left with silence, and they have to deal with the consequences of their choices.
The next stanza is a series of hypotheticals. The singer asks if the person they're addressing would come with them to live in the clouds, away from the cares of the world. They describe the experience of closing your eyes in the rain and of taking a bite from the sun, both of which are presented as visceral sensory experiences that are almost too much to handle - the sun is compared to tears, and the bite burns the heart.
The final stanza takes a darker turn. The singer suggests that if angels took them to heaven, it might not be as great as they hoped - perhaps they'd be shown the heavens just to be cast down to hell. The final lines return to the idea of living their dream one last time, with the implication that it's better to experience everything in a burst of passion than to cling to false hope.
Overall, the lyrics of "What Happens In Vegas Stays In Vegas" are about the dangers of relying on hope as a crutch, about the numbing effects of reality, and about the way that one last burst of passion can be preferable to hanging onto hopeless dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
We spend most of our lives relying on promising goodbyes
We often think that goodbyes are just temporary, and that we can rely on them to bring us back together again.
When morning comes, you'll know exactly what comes next
When the sun rises, there is a certain predictability to what the day will bring.
Silence
Sometimes, it's better to remain silent and simply listen.
If you beg for wings you'll only get shot down
If you are too ambitious and ask for things that are beyond your reach, you will fail and be disappointed.
If I resided in clouds, would you come live with me
If I lived in a fantasy world, would you be willing to come along on that journey with me?
Float high above all the cares in the world
If only we could forget about all of our troubles and rise above them.
When it rains you close your eyes
Sometimes we have to accept the rain and simply close our eyes until it passes.
Take a bite from the sun
Sometimes we try to grab hold of things that are too powerful for us to handle.
Burns your heart nearly as bad as your tears
Sometimes the pain we experience is even worse than our tears would suggest.
So watch me drive
Watch me take control and move forward with my life.
Together in our finest moments, forever apart
Even though we may share great experiences with others, we can still end up alone in the end.
Home with my eyes closed
Sometimes it's important to be alone and reflective.
Live this dream one last time
Let's enjoy this moment as if it were our last.
What is life with hope of tomorrow?
Without the promise of a better future, what is the point of living?
I died from every hope
Sometimes our hopes can lead to disappointment and a sense of despair.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
GLOOMINESCENT
We spend most of our lives relying on promising goodbyes
When morning comes, you'll know exactly what comes next
Silence
If you beg for wings you'll only get shot down
If I resided in clouds, would you come live with me
Float high above all the cares in the world
When it rains you close your eyes
Take a bite from the sun
Burns your heart nearly as bad as your tears
So watch me drive
Together in our finest moments, forever apart
With my eyes closed
Live this dream one last time
What is life with no hope of tomorrow?
Live this dream one last time
What is life with no hope?
As if angels landed and took me with them
Show me the heavens just to drop me to hell
We made it, and maybe it's better you never open your eyes
Live this dream one last time
What is life with no hope of tomorrow?
Live this dream one last time
I died from every hope
Kirk
Still one of my favorite albums, over ten years later.
Alex Jones
Almost 20 now. Still one of my favs, as well. 🤘🏻
EMFS
16 years now. Still is amazing.
BooTYwiZARd
SAME..
Suza Lois
The piano is lovely. I love sappy. I love it when love is spoken and hate is not continually entertained.
Alex Jones
Wtf are you talking about
Andrew Fin
Oh man does this album remind me of my young days. Good times...
BooTYwiZARd
FBTMoF was a waaaaayyyyy too underrated band...
TheGooseIsLoose
I couldn’t believe there was only 30 comments on this song
jdiedrick
that piano outro...i'm crying