Rocker (feedbot)
Gold Member
In a move that may be unprecedented, the worlds of Eurovision and Punktastic have collided in the form of From Fall To Spring. The top of the contenders for Germany’s Eurovision entry for this year’s contest are a world away from ABBA and far closer to Limp Bizkit and Electric Callboy in their style, and hoped to bring a burst of Nu-Metal to the stage in Liverpool to hopefully take home the metaphorical crown. Featuring identical twins Phillip and Lukas Wilhelm sharing vocals and guitar duties, From Fall To Spring are poised to take over the world, or at least the corner of it that worships Fred Durst.
The song they entered for Eurovision glory, ‘DRAW THE LINE’, is catchy electronica hailing back to a certain baggy-trousered era in music, right down to the vinyl scratches. It’s made for a defiant singalong on the chorus, and it’s teenage wasteland message resonates with anyone who never emotionally stopped wearing their wallet on a chain. The guitar shreds harder than it has any right to, and when they let their screams really rip, they’re glorious over the heart-pounding drums.
Of course, to start the story of From Fall To Spring, we must venture to the no-mans-land of TikTok. Their single ‘RISE’ was a viral lightning bolt, and it’s a slow burner: minimal electronic keyboard thumps underline anxious vocals before static rap kickstarts the track. It’s a comparatively cautious song: lyrics like “It’s the third time today that I’m scared of myself / and it’s happened again,” take centre stage before the rest of the band arrive to bring comfort, and the clubland fader-play on the samples bridge the gaps which From Fall To Spring straddle in their genre choice. They use a similar tactic with ‘BR4INFCK’, with rave samples adding sparkle to the drops before there’s another rap crescendo to propel us back into the world of metal. This is a band who know they want to make metal you can dance to rather than just pit or head-bang, and they achieve that goal and then some.
In some moments on the slower tracks, there’s ripples of Blaqk Audio resonating out, and while they share a producer with Electric Callboy, From Fall To Spring have none of the mullet-wearing legends’ sense of silliness. ‘BLACK HEART’ (sadly nothing to to with the bar in London’s Camden Town) is a slower, punchy number, drilling deep into the rhythm section to reach a vein of glittering throwback fist-pounding glory. They’re at their weakest when they try to tap into their rap side too deeply: the first twenty seconds of ‘BEASTMODE’ come across as poor imitation of grime before the guitar saves the day.
However, From Fall To Spring are capable of emotional depth away from cliched lines about staying strong. ‘BARRIERS’ draws on seemingly personal loneliness taken home by power chords and a punk ‘nah nah nah’ on the bridge. ‘SUPERNOVA’ too is a love letter to the future, a time when we will all shine “brighter than a million stars”, and hints at a path towards Muse-style space opera shenanigans in their future as well as a potential for full on Slash -style guitar.
It’s a mixed blessing that it’s easy to forget that this is Fall To Spring’s debut album (after two EP releases) and they’ve only been recording for five years. They sound like an established band that can plausibly pack stadiums, an impressive achievement in itself, and as a first reconnaissance into longer releases this is one heck of a debut. More innovation rather than imitation would be welcome, but building on the greats is a fantastic way to begin a career in metal. If the stars align, this will be the debut album that launches the five-piece from southwest Germany into the musical cosmos and into everyone’s playlist.
KATE ALLVEY
The song they entered for Eurovision glory, ‘DRAW THE LINE’, is catchy electronica hailing back to a certain baggy-trousered era in music, right down to the vinyl scratches. It’s made for a defiant singalong on the chorus, and it’s teenage wasteland message resonates with anyone who never emotionally stopped wearing their wallet on a chain. The guitar shreds harder than it has any right to, and when they let their screams really rip, they’re glorious over the heart-pounding drums.
Of course, to start the story of From Fall To Spring, we must venture to the no-mans-land of TikTok. Their single ‘RISE’ was a viral lightning bolt, and it’s a slow burner: minimal electronic keyboard thumps underline anxious vocals before static rap kickstarts the track. It’s a comparatively cautious song: lyrics like “It’s the third time today that I’m scared of myself / and it’s happened again,” take centre stage before the rest of the band arrive to bring comfort, and the clubland fader-play on the samples bridge the gaps which From Fall To Spring straddle in their genre choice. They use a similar tactic with ‘BR4INFCK’, with rave samples adding sparkle to the drops before there’s another rap crescendo to propel us back into the world of metal. This is a band who know they want to make metal you can dance to rather than just pit or head-bang, and they achieve that goal and then some.
In some moments on the slower tracks, there’s ripples of Blaqk Audio resonating out, and while they share a producer with Electric Callboy, From Fall To Spring have none of the mullet-wearing legends’ sense of silliness. ‘BLACK HEART’ (sadly nothing to to with the bar in London’s Camden Town) is a slower, punchy number, drilling deep into the rhythm section to reach a vein of glittering throwback fist-pounding glory. They’re at their weakest when they try to tap into their rap side too deeply: the first twenty seconds of ‘BEASTMODE’ come across as poor imitation of grime before the guitar saves the day.
However, From Fall To Spring are capable of emotional depth away from cliched lines about staying strong. ‘BARRIERS’ draws on seemingly personal loneliness taken home by power chords and a punk ‘nah nah nah’ on the bridge. ‘SUPERNOVA’ too is a love letter to the future, a time when we will all shine “brighter than a million stars”, and hints at a path towards Muse-style space opera shenanigans in their future as well as a potential for full on Slash -style guitar.
It’s a mixed blessing that it’s easy to forget that this is Fall To Spring’s debut album (after two EP releases) and they’ve only been recording for five years. They sound like an established band that can plausibly pack stadiums, an impressive achievement in itself, and as a first reconnaissance into longer releases this is one heck of a debut. More innovation rather than imitation would be welcome, but building on the greats is a fantastic way to begin a career in metal. If the stars align, this will be the debut album that launches the five-piece from southwest Germany into the musical cosmos and into everyone’s playlist.
KATE ALLVEY