Hopesfall – Arbiter
Hopesfall is a Post Hardcore/Melodic Hardcore band out of Charlotte, North Carolina. After an eleven year hiatus, this amazing band has graced music fans with an amazing comeback album; “Arbiter”. With hardcore guitar riffs, fast drumming and sick vocals, Hopesfall silenced anyone questioning their ability to make an phenomenal comeback!
In promotion for the new album, Hopesfall sat down for an interview with New Noise Magazine. “ ‘After the split, we decided to give it a good break,’ guitarist Dustin Nadler explains. ‘…We decided to get up and start jamming around 2010. We just started playing together and writing some riffs and having fun, like we used to do. It was all about doing it for the sake of trying to get together and drink a few beers and write music. There was no intention fo writing a Hopesfall record, initially,’ he continues. ‘We got these three or four songs together and decided to show them to a few people… Once the guys at Equal Vision and Graphic Nature heard it, it took off from there. A big part of their interest in having us do this was the realization that it sounded like Hopesfall — which made sense, because it came from the guys in Hopesfall. We just hadn’t wanted to call it that, so it caught us off guard.’ “
* Click here for the rest of the interview*
Prior to the new material being heard by record labels, Hopesfall had no intention of continuing with their original name. One name that stuck out to them the most was Arbiter, which became the name of the new album. This 10 song album is a classic from start to finish. “Arbiter” starts off with Faint Object Camera, the third single off of the album, and my personal favorite track on the album. This song absolutely shreds! It begins with the light strum of a guitar and transitions into a full band throwdown, led by Jay Forrest’s hardcore vocals. The way that Forrest effortlessly switches from screaming to beautiful, clear sounding singing is awesome! This song should be the opener for every show that Hopesfall plays. It is the perfect way to get the crowd hyped up immediately.
“Arbiter” continues with H.A. Wallace Space Academy, the first single released from the album. This song reminds me a lot of Thursday and Underoath. Forrest lightens up his vocals and sings pretty consistently throughout the song, occasionally throwing in harder vocals. I really enjoy this because it shows the variety that Hopesfall is able to incorporate into their music. Hopesfall picks the pace back up with the next song, Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The opening guitar riff and Forrest’s screaming in the background will have the mosh pits at their shows going wild. I love that Hopesfall is able to switch up the style of a song so quickly, from a simple light strum of the guitar with calm, clear singing to an all out throwdown, as evident in the end of the song. Forrest screams, “which legion to fight for, at the height of revolt, what progression is unjust with what we know. We think we saw you, a cult revival. What goes into it, an image of my own,” and is followed by a nasty instrumental that will have crowds dancing away!
Some other songs that stood out to me on “Arbiter” are C.S. Lucky-One and I Catapult. C.S. Lucky-One has one of the best breakdowns of the album! It is very reminiscent of Every Time I Die or Evergreen Terrace. I just hope I get the chance to see them live so I can experience the insanity that must go on in their crowds! The album continues with I Catapult. The song starts off very calm with Forrest’s vocals echoing in the back of a very calm guitar solo and leads into the full band. You can feel the emotions being poured into this song, similar to a style that Brand New has. “I starve my brain with nothing but my dreams. When we stare to the ground, I’m nothing but around to most. For what makes them hang above the earth, I catapult out over wasted days. Can’t let them know my brain turned off, I feel nothing for a superstar”.
Two final songs that stood out to me are Drowning Potential and Indignation and the Rise of the Arbiter. Drowning Potential is the typical, hard hitting, faced past hardcore song that Hopesfall fans love. In the interview I referenced earlier, Forrest stated, “A common misconception is that I want to sing on the record a lot, but I want to do what’s best for the song. There’s actually a part of the hardcore kid in me that still wants to scream a lot”. I love the intertwining of singing and screaming vocals on this album, as I’m sure every Hopesfall fan does. The final song on “Arbiter”, Indignation and the Rise of the Arbiter, is another classic. “Put your all, swing slow, indignation is misdirected, when you stare at institution, I’d take notice of the arbiter. Nostalgia of aristocrats, adulthood to middle class, loyalists with perspective, at the rise of the arbiter”.
Overall, I give Hopesfall’s new album, “Arbiter” a 10/10. This is, in my opinion, their best work to date. I don’t think we missed out on eleven years of Hopesfall; I like to think it was all in preparation for this kick ass album! Make sure you follow Hopesfall on their social media accounts and check out music from their new album on the blog’s Spotify playlist: After Hours Review!