The Fallen State - Plymouth Review

The Fallen State are one of those bands that I have been into for quite a while; but only really became a 'true' fan of over the past couple of years. I have been aware of the band since the release of their debut EP, as the band's original singer Ben Stenning was doing some ballsy direct Facebook promotion and brought them to my attention, but it was not until seeing the band headline in London in 2019 that everything truly fell into place. By the time I was stood in the 229 with a good number of other fans of The Fallen State, the band had released their strong debut album, 2019's A Deadset Endeavour, but had also amassed an impressive collection of EPs. I enjoyed all of the EPs, but it was great to finally hear a full-length album from the band. I had wondered if the band were experimenting with a more modern approach to releasing music; especially as their first three EPs all contained three tracks each and were released in quite quick succession; but with the album they seemed to truly 'arrive' and settle on a sound. With the band's early EPs, there was a diversity of sound on offer. Some of the songs reminded me a little of modern hard rockers Heaven's Basement, while other songs looked to America and the sound of bands like Creed. A Deadset Endeavour saw the band settle however, and I think that is what made the 229 show so good - as the band was filled with a confidence in their new sound and the large crowd really helped them along. I had seen the band live twice previously, once headlining the Underground in Plymouth and once supporting Tremonti in Birmingham, but the 229 show took things to another level. It came as a shock then earlier this year when Stenning announced that he was stepping down from the band. I had never been the biggest fan of his voice, but over time he really grew on me - and he was also a great frontman. He was one of those singers that really drew you in live, and I was sad to see him leave a band that seemed to be really gaining some traction - especially following the release of A Deadset Endeavour. His replacement, Adam Methven, was unknown to me, but the first single released with him, Knives, impressed. It still sounded like The Fallen State, but a little heavier - which is certainly no bad thing. With a new album due out in January, and a big tour with Stone Broken following, the band decided to head out on a tour of their own to road test both their new line-up and some of the new material. The tour was their first since 2019, and it kicked off at The Junction in Plymouth. I have been to The Junction a lot in recent weeks, so it was great to be back - and with a strong three-band bill the evening promised to be an enjoyable one.

Up first was the Newton Abbot-based three-piece Ethyrfield, who I saw recently at The Junction opening for Diamond Head. The band released their debut album In Delirium earlier in the year, and are starting to a make a bit of a name for themselves with their sound that forges grunge and progressive metal together to create a heavy, rich sound. With three bands to get through, and the fact that their songs are generally on the longer side, Ethyrfield only had time for five songs - but they impressed as always with their riff-based sound and their strong use of vocal harmonies. Their live sound mix was quite muddy (a problem which would resurface later) and very drum-heavy, but the band still rocked. Four of the songs played came from their debut album, and it was nice to hear a few different cuts this time. The opener Sunstroke remained in situ however, with Zach Cornish (vocals/bass guitar) and Ben Cornish (guitar/vocals) trading vocal lines back and forth, before they took a rare trip back to one of their older EPs for Free the Dog which was much heavier. The band's newer material is much more dynamic however, with the progressive side of their sound shining through. The snaking Laying On of Hands demonstrated this; as did the lengthy Serenity - which shifts back and forth between heavy, riff-based sections and gentler moments. A vocal-led section towards the end which saw much of the instrumentation drop out showcased the band's arranging skills, and it is always great to hear a young band with such intricate compositional skills. It was left to the album's closing number Bitter Wishbone to bring the set to an end, and those in attendance made their appreciation known. Despite a less-than-ideal live sound, Ethyrfield again demonstrated why they are starting to make waves - and I am sure that I will end up catching them live again soon. The setlist was:

Sunstroke

Free the Dog

Laying On of Hands

Serenity

Bitter Wishbone

The tour's main support act Dead Man's Whiskey followed, and also impressed. Out of the evening's three bands, their live sound mix was probably the clearest of the night and that allows their 1980s-inspired hard rock to shine. Dead Man's Whiskey are clearly fans of a lot of 1980s hair metal and hard rock, and they are not afraid to showcase this. Lots of their songs were packed with riffs that could have come from the 1980s, and frontman Nico Rogers made sure to include a few good screams just to remind everyone that their heads were certainly in the past. Despite this, however, Dead Man's Whiskey still had a tough sound, which meant that they sounded more akin to bands like Jackyl and Junkyard than Poison or Warrant. This gritty approach to 1980s hard rock suited Rogers' voice; while Billy Kons' (guitar/vocals) leads were very bluesy - which again fit in with the overall sound perfectly. I was not familiar with the band before the gig, beyond having heard their name a few times, but having now seen them they are a band that I feel I need to check out further. Their overall sound is one that I like, and a lot of the songs were quite memorable on first listen - with a big riff or a memorable chorus helping each song to stand out. While the turnout could have been better, there were still quite a few people in The Junction by this point, and there were a few Dead Man's Whiskey fans down at the front. This meant that there was generally quite a strong atmosphere while the band was playing, but there was also quite a bit of talking from those at the back - which is always disappointing and guaranteed to hinder my enjoyment of a show. The band did not seem to notice however, and managed to elicit quite a strong reaction from those of us who were paying attention. Their final song, Racing Bullet, even managed to whip up quite a loud sing-a-long - so the band's set ended on a high which set the tone nicely for the evening's headliners.

Half an hour or so later, The Fallen State took to stage and launched into one of their new songs Knives. The heavier song worked well as a set opener, but it was clear from the off that the set was going to be plagued with sound problems. Methven, playing his very first gig with the band, was barely audible at all during the first couple of songs - and even though his microphone was turned up as the evening went on he never had the opportunity to power through the mix like he deserved to. Methven's vocals were not the only thing to suffer from the overall very muddy sound however, as the guitars constantly fluctuated in volume. Sometimes they were really loud, then they were really quiet, then one was much louder than the other, and they even appeared to cut out or dramatically drop in volume altogether a couple of times. I am really not sure what the problem was, but it hampered my enjoyment of the gig. I have been to The Junction a number of times in recent weeks, and the sound has always been very clear. For whatever reason, however, The Fallen State really suffered. It was one of those gigs where it was sometimes hard to tell what song was being played, which was not helped by the talkers at the back who had really lost interest by this point. The sound isuses were also not helped by the fact that the band were quite rusty, and Methven was feeling his way into the band, but the overall performance was still passionate and I am sure that things will click properly after a few more shows. Despite all of this, however, I still enjoyed my time with the band - and the setlist included a lot of the band's best songs. Sinner whipped up some early excitement from those of us who were paying attention with a bit of a sing-a-long, while the personal favourite Sons of Avarice went down well with its murky guitar melodies and a ripping solo from Jon Price (guitar/vocals). The hard-hitting Attitude was another early highlight with its big chorus, before Paradox from A Deadset Endeavour got a live airing for the first time. In total, there were four songs that were played live for the first time - with three of the songs from the upcoming album debuted. The anthemic Standing Tall is certainly going to become a live favourite, while the heavy River (complete with Price's eight-string guitar) came towards the end to shake things up with some real weight. In between, however, there were a couple of slower songs to lighten the mood with the atmospheric Fragments and the fan-favourite power ballad Nova changing the overall pace - with the latter in particular encouraging a lot of singing. It was left to the golden oldie Hope in Revival, with its big chorus, to close out the evening, and the band certainly received a strong reaction as they left the stage - which was nice to hear despite the sound issues that they had faced throughout. The setlist was:

Knives

For My Sorrow

Sinner

Sons of Avarice

Burn It to the Ground

Attitude

Paradox

Lost Cause

Standing Tall

Fragments

Send Up the World

Nova

Drum solo

River

Hope in Revival

It was great to see The Fallen State live again, but it was a real shame that the poor sound throughout stopped the gig from reaching its full potential. It is always a shame when, for whatever reason, a clear mix just cannot be achieved - but the band soldiered through and put on a real energy-filled performance. The rustiness that was also affecting the band at times will wear off after a few more shows too, and I am sure that by the time I see the band again in January with Stone Broken that they will be back to their best. Methven certainly has the voice to do the old material justice, and I am liking the slightly heavier sound of the new material. Things are certainly looking positive for the band generally, but I hope that the rest of this tour does not suffer from the same sound issues that plagued Plymouth.