The Fallen State's 'A Deadset Endeavour' - Album Review

Devon has never really been a hot bed of great rock bands, but the county's The Fallen State - who formed back in 2013 - have been making a bit of name for themselves over the past few years. With plenty of high-profile support slots with the likes of Tremonti and Black Stone Cherry under their belts, as well as a handful of their own successful headlining tours, the band are starting to establish themselves on the scene. Plentiful touring has certainly helped the band to raise their profile, but I also feel that a pretty regular stream of new music being released over the years has helped. This review is for their debut album, A Deadset Endeavour - which was released in April, but this release is their sixth overall collection of songs. Three short self-titled, numbered EPs were released in fairly quick succession throughout 2014 and 2015 which featured a strong old-school hard rock sound with modern elements. The first couple of EPs in particular made The Fallen State out to be something of the successor to bands like Heaven's Basement - although the more recent releases have seen the band move towards a more modern sound that features a good chunk of the post-grunge sound that is popular on American rock radio. There is a Heaven's Basement connection to The Fallen State however, and that is producer David Jones (aka Jonny Rocker) who - I believe - has produced everything that The Fallen State has released so far. He really is the go-to modern hard rock producer in the country now, and his fat style has helped countless bands to sound great. His guidance has probably helped to shape The Fallen State too, with their most recent EPs: 2016's Crown Your Shadows and 2017's A View from Ruin (which I reviewed here); moving away from their more classic rock-inspired beginnings to something more slick and modern. It is that sound that has fuelled and influenced A Deadset Endeavour too, and the band's first full-length release certainly carries on the good work established on the two recent EPs while diversifying things somwhat. It is also the shift towards this more modern sound that has certainly opened the floodgates for the band in terms of fanbase growth, with many young fans who grew up on bands like Breaking Benjamin flocking to see The Fallen State. I have to admit though that I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with post-grunge as a genre. I love some of the more 'experimental' acts in the scene such as Alter Bridge, and I like bands like Black Stone Cherry who fuse the sound with other influences (southern rock in their case) but pure post-grunge is something I struggle with. It is probably this that will mean that The Fallen State will never be a true favourite of mine, but it is great to see a band from Devon making a name for themselves and writing strong material, even if that material is not 100% my thing. That being said, I have been enjoying A Deadset Endeavour quite a bit since its April release, and I can see myself spinning it a fair bit going forward.

Statements kicks off the ten-song album with some swirling atmospherics and a chiming guitar intro, before the band crashes in with a heavy riff - a 'statement' of intent if you will (pun intended). Despite the heavy riff, the song's verses are quite calm, with Greg Butler's bass playing dominating while frontman Ben Stenning delivers a moody vocal performance. The contrast between these verses, which help to really create a strong atmosphere, and the heavy choruses is a big part of what makes the song strong - and it is great to see the band really cranking through the gears as the song moves on. The chorus uses the intro riff for its backbone, with guitarists Jon Price and Dan Oke mixing distant leads and heavy rhythms to great effect. It may seem strange to lead with a song that focuses a lot on the band's more atmospheric side, but I think it works well and the album gets off to a strong start. For My Sorrow goes for the throat a little more early on with a fast-paced stuttering guitar riff, with drummer Rich Walker setting the pace with his driving beats. Again though the first verse is a little paired-back, but this time it is the tortured guitar melodies of Price that dominate and create the atmosphere. Later verses are tougher however, with some strong guitar rhythms that help the song to whip up some real power throughout. Despite their post-grunge pedigree, The Fallen State are not shy about showing off, and Price regularly gets a chance to with some impressive solos. The one in this song is quite short, but is packed full of fast note flurries that fits in nicely with the overall pace and tone of the piece. American Made is one of the album's singles, and seems to deal with the struggle the band has faced being heard against the backdrop of American acts that also play this sort of music. Devon-made is certainly more interesting than American-made to me however, and from the gentle piano intro to the stadium-sized chorus this is a song that contains more interesting songwriting quirks and memorable melodies than most of the American bands they are 'up against'. The verses have a great groove, with both the bass and guitars locking in for a somewhat funky melody, before the chorus showcases the type of melodies that most bands of this ilk would kill for. Price's solo is also excellent too, and is packed with classic rock phrasing that recalls the band's early EPs. Paradox is another strong song which opens slowly, but as soon as Price's big guitar lead kicks in things really get going. The theme of the album however seems to be the contrast between light and shade, with verses often slowing things down to allow the song to really explode into the chorus. This song is another example of this songwriting trope, but with more of a classic rock flavour overall. The use of guitars to create strong atmospherics during the verses is great, and the chorus is another that really feels built for playing live. Stenning sounds huge here, and the subtle vocal harmonies employed really help to drive the song forward.

Torn is another single, and was the first taste of the new album that many would have had before the album's April release. It is not my favourite song here, but it certainly hits hard from the off with a muscular guitar riff and a strong synth backing which fills all the gaps and makes the song have a certain depth to it. For me though, this song is just too close to pure post-grunge for me to really love it. Many of the other songs here see The Fallen State mixing different influences into their core sound, which is great to see, whereas this song reminds me more of the band's more-recent EPs. It is an enjoyable song, but one that I feel lacks the dynamics of what has come before it. I can see why it was chosen as the album's lead single however, as it flows on nicely from the A View from Ruin material released two years ago. That being said, the riffing here is some of the most-potent on the album - I just find it less melodically interesting than many of the other offerings here. Can't Fight The Feeling on the other hand is one of my favourite cuts on the album, and gets back to the album's theme of light and shade, with a gentle verse that transitions gradually into an explosive, stadium-sized chorus. When I first listened to the album back in April, this was the song that initially stood out to me on my first listen and repeated listens have only cemented my love for the tune. The chorus is one of the album's strongest, with Stenning almost spitting out the emotional lyrics at times, but at all times maintaining a strong sense of melody. It is this overall style that I feel suits The Fallen State the best, and the mix of heavy riffing, dynamic songwriting, and melodic vocal lines really show the five-piece at their strongest. There is enough of a classic rock vibe to please the older fans, but with a strong modern element that plays into the post-grunge crowd. Open Wound opens with a discordant guitar passage that dominates much of the song, and forms the basis of a schizophrenic verse that features some off-kilter drumming from Walker and a sound unlike anything else on the album. I like the change of approach, and it certainly helps the song to stand out from the crowd. The chorus is more typical however, and explodes with a big vocal display from Stenning and some soaring Price guitar leads. The more traditional chorus is a big contrast to the slightly strange verses, but in my opinion the mix works well. It allows a somewhat more prominent synth placement too, which helps to add to that strange sound. Keyboards are not a big part of the band's sound, but their inclusion in certain songs here helps to bulk things out a little and adds to the overall atmosphere created without ever dominating or feeling overbearing.

Attitude is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a heavier piece with a strident hard rock riff that drives everything and a wall of cold-sounding synths to add depth. Like Torn this is a song that maintains a strong pace throughout, and feels a little more like the band's recent EPs. The chorus is quite a catchy one, but again I feel the song lacks the dynamic songwriting that is present elsewhere. I think that I prefer this song to Torn however, as the main riff is a great one that ensures the song hits a great pace from the off - and I imagine that it would be a fun song to hear live despite feeling that it is not one of the strongest offerings here. There are some riffs towards the end of the song that are bordering on metal at times, showing another side to the band - and one that I would not mind to see them expand on going forward. Lovers & Psychos is another tough track, that opens with a high-energy riff before the fast-paced verses takes over with some excellent Butler bass work keeping everything on tracks. Of all the songs that maintain a steady faster pace throughout, I feel that this one is by far the strongest. The verses here have a strong kinetic energy about them that sees all five band members shining. I have already highlighted the bass playing, but the drumming is also excellent, and Walker makes excellent use of fills throughout to keep the song moving. The pace barely lets up for the chorus either, which is an anthemic moment. There are catchier choruses here, but in the context of the rest of the song it hits the spot. The riffing throughout is very strong, and overall the song just feels exciting despite lacking some of the depth found elsewhere. Fragments is the album's final offering, and starts slowly with some emotionally-charged vocals from Stenning and chiming guitar playing from Price and Oke. This song is closest thing on the album to a true ballad, and it helps to bring the album to an atmospheric close after nine songs that, on the whole, have rocked hard. I have never found that The Fallen State write convincing ballads in the past, but this is one of their better offerings in that vein. The song does get somewhat heavier as it moves along, with later renditions of the chorus feeling quite a bit tougher, but this is a song that is overall characterised by more gentle atmospherics. Stenning is the star of the show here. He has never been a favourite singer of mine, but his performance throughout this album is very good. He seems to have really found his voice here, and his delivery of the murky, atmospheric sections of this song are particularly impressive. He is able to inject a lot of emotion into the song, and his howls as the album fades to a close leave a lasting impression. Overall, A Deadset Endeavour is a strong first album from a Devon band who deserve to make more of a name for themselves in the UK rock scene. They have worked hard to get to this point, and I feel that this is a strong enough album to catapult them onto the next stage of their journey.

The self-released album was released on 19th April 2019. Below is the band's promotional video for American Made.