The Fallen State's 'Between Hope & Disillusion' - Album Review

It has been great over the past few years to see a few rock acts from Devon starting to make waves outside of the South West, and today's entry in this little series is The Fallen State - a Bideford-based band who formed back in 2013 and have been gradually raising their profile ever since. I first started listening to the band in 2014, around the time that their first EP came out, and they kept releasing new songs in quick succession - so much so that by the time 2017 rolled around they had five EPs to their name. The first three numbered EPs saw the band setting out their stall, but it was with 2016's Crown Your Shadows and 2017's The View from Ruin (which I reviewed here) that The Fallen State's sound was truly forged. The 1980s rock vibes from the early releases were gone by this point, and the band revealed themselves to be a rather sleek modern rock outfit - with many of the hallmarks of the post-grunge sound that has been popular on American rock radio for a number of years. I have said many times on this blog that post-grunge generally does little for me, but I grew to really like The Fallen State's take on it. I saw the band headline in Plymouth around the time that The View from Ruin came out, and I also saw them the following year opening for Tremonti. I enjoyed both of these sets, and I picked up their debut album A Deadset Endeavour (which I also reviewed here) when it was released in 2019. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but it was seeing the band live again in London at the end of 2019 that really made me a fan. The band blew me away that night at the 229, and I was really looking forward for what was to come next. Sadly, however, frontman Ben Stenning left the band in 2021. I had struggled a bit with his voice at first, but he won me round in time - and I was sad to see him go. He was a great frontman, and his voice was a big part of the band's identity. His replacement was announced as Adam Methven, and he was introduced with the release of the single Knives. It was clear that The Fallen State with Methven was going to be a very different prospect to previously, but I enjoyed Knives from the off. I saw the band again in Plymouth last year, a show which was hampered by a poor sound mix. It was clear though that the band were in good hands with Methven, and with the release of their second album Between Hope & Disillusion in March this fact is made even clearer. Between Hope & Disillusion is much heavier than A Deadset Endeavour, and there are moments here that border on metal. There are some moments that sound like The Fallen State of old though, and the album feels like a good mix of the band's past along with some new sounds to keep things fresh and introduce their new era nicely.

The album opens with some busy synths, which soon give way to the hard-hitting main riff of Running From the Sun - a relatively heavy track that shares some hallmarks with The Fallen State of old, whilst injecting a bit more metal into the band's sound. Methven is quite a different singer from Stenning. His voice is quite a bit deeper, and he generally sings in a more aggressive, somewhat punky, manner. This suits the heavier vibe of the album, and he dominates Running From the Sun with his assured performance and gritty attitude. A chorus that is packed full of simple hooks and a squealing guitar solo from Jon Price are the highlights of the song, but overall the album's opening cut is one that is full of strong moments. It rarely lets up the pace, with even a slightly more low key bridge section still having something of a haunting vibe due to its off-kilter rhythms, and it is the perfect track to introduce the new-look Fallen State with. Wolves slows things down somewhat, and harks back to the band's older sound a bit more overtly. The main riff is a big wall of sound, with both Price and Dan Oke teaming up to lay down a slab of distorted guitar, which is bulked out by stabs of synths and a punchy drum groove from Rich Walker. Synths have become a bigger part of the band's sound throughout this album, too, and this song is a good example of how the band have used them to enhance their sound. The verses are relatively stripped back though, with Greg Butler's bass dominating in a manner that recalls the band's older sound, whilst the choruses up the power and heaviness - with Methven ramping up his delivery along with the sound of the song. Up next is Knives, the song which introduced the current era of The Fallen State last year with the release of its music video. It is quite different to The Fallen State of old, which is perhaps why it was chosen as the album's lead single, but it contains a number of the album's hallmarks. The synth presence is noticeable again, and the opening main riff is as powerful as the two that preceded it. I like the song, but the verses do sometimes stray a little too close to nu metal for comfort. I have never been a big nu metal fan, and the semi-spoken/rapped lyrics of the verses have something of Fred Durst or early Jacoby Shaddix about them - which I could do without really. The song's chorus is great, though - and it hooked me from the off despite me not being a big fan of the verses. It is the album's first true earworm for me, and I imagine that the song will become a live favourite over the years thanks to its anthemic melodies and driving rhythms.

Another single in the form of River follows, and the song opens relatively slowly with some dancing synths - before the guitars join in and the track gets going in a fast paced, yet smooth, manner. The song is relatively varied arrangement-wise, and it lacks some of the overt heaviness of the songs that have come before. The first verse is very low key, with Methven's voice largely just sitting against a synth background and a programmed drum groove. This feels very sparse compared to the previous three songs, but the song builds up as it moves along - with a powerful chorus soon kicking in that has plenty of emotional tug and a great gang vocal entrance. Later verses are much more powerful than the first one, however, and the second verse ramps things up with a bigger guitar presence and a section of vocals that essentially crosses over into harsh vocal territory - which is something new for the band. The final section of the song also exclusively makes use of this vocal style, and the track stands out as a result - with Methven showcasing his vocal diversity throughout the song. Mirror slows things down again, and is built around some clean guitar melodies that chime away without a trace of heaviness - which Methven sings atop. The screaming of the previous song is replaced with more of a gentle croon this time, which works well as a contrast between the two numbers. The song does expand as it moves along, however. Butler's potent bass playing helps the verses to move forward, and the heaviness gradually ramps up as the chorus is approached. The song never tips over into a territory that is as heavy as anything else that has been heard on the album to this point, but its choruses are certainly much weightier than its verses. It is also a much more expansive song than much of the rest of the album. Most of the songs here are around the three minute mark, but this song stretches out further and allows its arrangement much more time to breathe. Towards the end it feels quite epic too, with a U2-esque atmosphere mixed in with the band's modern hard rock sound. Standing Tall reins things in compared to the previous song, and instead sounds like a real throwback to the band's previous album. It is a very catchy song with a great chorus and more of a post-grunge sound - with much of the metal edge of the rest of the album largely absent here. Songs like this built The Fallen State, so it is great to hear something here that sounds like a bit of a throwback despite the focus on moving forward. It is the sort of song that is likely to please long-standing Fallen State fans like me, and it is another track that is likely to become a live favourite due to its anthemic chorus and infectious attitude - which brings the best out of everyone, including Price who lays down another tasty guitar solo.

Take it From Me is heavier, and showcases the band's newfound metal edge nicely. It also has a bit of a punky vibe throughout - especially during the choruses which are pretty erratic with some interesting vocal melodies. The Fallen State have not really sounded like this before, but it works well despite some parts of the song again having a bit of a nu metal feel. The atmosphere that the song conjures up is a great, though, and it is easily the most unsettling track that the band have written to date. Potent bass lines and mechanical guitar riffs help to create this overall vibe, whilst Methven's varied vocal delivery, which again includes harsh vocals, helps to separate the song from the throwback of Standing Tall. Gallows returns to the heavier version of the band's core sound that opened up the album with Running From the Sun and Wolves. The synths from this portion of the album also return, and they are actually a big part of the song overall. There is a synth-led breakdown at one point which sounds a bit like the soundtracks of a lot of old video games mashed together, whilst the electronics generally create a strong atmosphere throughout. Can't Get Through to You ups the pace a little, and sounds like a mix of the slight weirdness of Take it From Me with the album's general core sound. There is a slight funk vibe to the song's verses thanks to Butler's excellent bass playing, whilst other parts of the track have the crazed nu metal edge of Take it From Me with some off-kilter vocal melodies and the occasional discordant guitar scream. The mix of sounds works well, and it perhaps sounds a little more natural than some of the more overtly-crazy moments here. I like the fact that there is a lot of variety on show, though, and The Fallen State certainly cannot be accused of sitting still. Closing the album, though, is Ammunition, a track which closes things out in a similar manner to how the album started. It reminds me quite a bit of Wolves thanks to its powerful mid-paced riff, slightly anthemic vibes, and a big synth presence throughout. The atmosphere of the track is very much boosted by the synths, and the inclusion of another great guitar solo adds plenty of melody. Price is a great guitar player, but he does not often take the chance to show off. When he does solo, though, he really makes it count - and Ammunition is helped by his melodic playing. I like the way that the song ends, too, which is very rhythmic and again quite different from the rest of the album. It ends things on a high, and with yet another flavour to digest. Overall, I like what the band have done with Between Hope & Disillusion. I am not sure that every experiment works, but on the whole the album is very strong and it is good to hear the band trying some new things. Generally the album is one that looks forward rather than back. It would have been easy to stick to the same sound as the previous album, but Between Hope & Disillusion shows some vision.

The self-released album was released on 25th March 2022. Below is the band's promotional video for Knives.