REVIEW: A Faylene Sky – “Hell Is Where the Heart Is” (2013)

Artist:  A Faylene Sky [Facebook] [Twitter]

Album:  “Hell Is Where the Heart Is”

Tracklist:

1. To Raise the Nation
2. Day Dreamer
3. Hell Is Where the Heart Is
4. A Fitting Sight
5. Defined Dead
6. The Art of Soul Searching
7. Whispers
8. I Would Shoot Tobey Twice
9. An Ocean State of Mind
10. Anchored Down

After member changes, some wild shows and signing to Tragic Hero Records, A Faylene Sky has finally come to please their patient fans with their long-awaited new full-length, “Hell Is Where the Heart Is.”  The announcement for this record came almost out of nowhere, as the bad, one day, simply began speaking about the thought of a full-length, then teased fans with the idea that such a thing might have, possibly, already been in the works.  Finally, fans were pleased with merely the bump of the name, “Hell Is Where the Heart Is,” and not too long after were blessed with the album’s single, “To Raise the Nation,” which gives us, sort-of, an overall feel of this record, in essence.  Anyways, without further ado, here’s my review of this brilliant new release from A Faylene Sky:

The Good:

This record is better than one would expect, definitely.  A Faylene Sky is a rising star that hasn’t exactly gotten their big break in the scene yet – this isn’t meant in offence, of course.  This band gets some good recognition, but I mean to say that they haven’t been recognized to the lengths they should be just yet.  This band shows a lot of potential, and has even from the early days of the band’s beginning – and, as one would learn after listening through this sweet record, have only gotten better with age.  “Hell Is Where the Heart Is” starts off without missing a single hit, beginning with, of course, the record’s single, “To Raise the Nation.”  As I said, this gives a good overall feel of the album, but doesn’t reveal its entire “being.”  It’s more of a glimpse into what to expect – I’m probably only repeating myself, but at least I’ve got your attention with all of this.  Not to be too cliché as most post-hardcore bands are these days, these boys actually put time and effort into each song, not making each and every one just part of the same melting pot.  With songs like “Hell Is Where the Heart Is,” you get the edgier sound that A Faylene Sky comes out with, bringing in some heavier sounds, a killer breakdown, and some crazy powerful clean vocals.  Hold on, though – don’t get a hold of yourself, because just after this is “A Fitting Sight,” pulling you in with a loud beating drum, and sending you into…  Maybe a familiar sound.  This song is absolutely a “post-hardcore” song – chugs, breakdowns, a few short breakdowns here-and-there, clean vocals and screams.  Y’know, the usual.  But…  It’s just not the same-old-same.  Most post-hardcore bands have a tendency to get boring, using the same sound over and over, but for some reason… This band just seems to be able to make that “familiar” sound become just…  Well, better.

The Bad:

Well, here it goes.  A lot of the more melodic and softer parts, which are obvious because they’re always met with clean vocals, often sound the same in each song.  This contradicts what I’d said earlier, saying that not every song sounds the same – but it really doesn’t, because, then, I was keeping in mind the entirety of the song, not just bits and pieces.  Still, though, often the melodic pieces of the songs can sound like one another, which can inspire a bit of boredom in any listener, as most people with a niche in music might agree with.  Aside from this, and this is probably personal, there’s only one thing – the waiting.  I don’t know what the reason is, the inability to get studio time, the shows the band was busy with, which by all means both are understandable, or the record label – I just don’t know what the reason is – but it felt like myself and all of A Faylene Sky’s fans have been waiting just about forever for this record.  It sort of hurts the fans, especially the dedicated ones, whenever they learn of a new album being on its way, then end up having to wait, on-and-on.  I can’t blame the band for this, though – it’s simply not their fault, I’m sure.  They went through a line-up change, they got signed to a record label, they’ve been playing shows – it’s understandable!  Still, though, I just have to point this out, being a fan myself who was just a tad hurt by the wait.  I have to say, though, the wait was worth it.

Overall:

Really, this is a great album from another band that gets swept under the carpet far too much, and is often overlooked for no reason whatsoever.  This is a band that deserves to be up there with the greats of the genre, actually giving off their “own sound,” and actually seeming to be a group of people who actually get along with and care about eachother – a rare trait indeed, these days.  This record gives a satisfying feeling of emotion and overall comfort, because, finally, A Faylene Sky are making their mark.

Stand-Out Track:

“I Would Shoot Tobey Twice”:  This, to me is probably the song that truly is different from all of the others in the record.  The clean vocals are mixed into every piece of the album, not so simply just the “melodic” bits here and there, and plus this song has an even greater presence of electronics and sweetly played keys, guilty pleasures of mine.  This song effectively combines melody and chaos here, in every way – the mixture of the vocals, the playing of all instruments – and I mean all, heck, I’m pretty sure I might have heard…  A solo?  I guess you’ll have to listen for yourselves, maybe I’m wrong.

Closing:

This record might not be for everyone, because, of course, this is really a post-hardcore album.  Of course, it does stray at times for a more hardcore approach, and at times a few metalcore bits are placed through the course of a few songs, but overall, this album is what it is, and you know what?  There’s nothing wrong with that.  This is a good album, and these boys shouldn’t be looked down upon for anything put into this release at all, because it is, indeed, a perfect compilation of everything A Faylene Sky has been through and done up to this point, and is only the start of something great.

Rating:  8.9 / 10

For Fans Of:  A Skylit Drive, Camisado, Skyscrapers Walk Among Us