Hell Sweet Hell

Fear My Thoughts | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 2, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Lifeforce Records
• ASIN: B0009X76IM
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #392,080 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars FMT Best Record To Date, Although Lost In The Sea Of Metalcore Stagnation, January 7, 2006

By 

LeftManOut (TheCityThatNeverSleeps, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hell Sweet Hell (Audio CD)

I've heard all four Fear My Thoughts albums (from their debut "23" up to this release) and it's been interesting to see how the band has evolved from a chaotic, noisecore outfit to the metalcore sound they embody now. However every evolution the band has gone through (most notably the jump they took between "Vitriol" and "The Great Collapse") has strengthened them in every way. To be honest I heard "The Great Collapse" and wasn't really impressed. It wasn't a bad record, but in some places it seemed like they were trying too hard, and in others not hard enough. It was also their first album to take on the swedish melodeath influence and transform into "metalcore". Whatever you want to label this cd as, be it metal, hardcore, melodic death, or metalcore is fairly unimportant, as the music should speak for itself. And on "Hell, Sweet Hell" it does.

First off the vocals have improved so much on this record. If this is your first Fear My Thoughts record, you really won't appreciate how much this band has stepped up their craft since their last outing. Listen to any of their earlier releases and you will understand why I believe this to be their best effort. Where on "The Great Collapse" the vocals came off sometimes cheesy, often sounding too much like the proto cookie-monster style (and the less than stellar production didn't help), "Hell, Sweet Hell" sees the vocals primarily going to route of a raging, throaty scream, occasionally mixing in some deep growling. Like I said you really have to listen to any of the band's previous releases to understand my appreciation for the improvement this band has undergone.

Musically, they taken heavy influence from swedish melodic death this time around, ala Killswitch Engage. Unfortunately though this guitar style is far from original or refreshing right now, which is ultimately why people are coming down so hard on these guys. While it's not necessarily ground breaking, the band's musicians show an apt ability for playing this style of music that has become fairly popular now. The excellent guitar riffery on "My Delight" (love the accenting background fill solo behind the bridge at around 2:07) and "Sadist Hour" is worthy of noting, as it stands side by side with the genre's heavyweights. The leads found in the title track and "Dying Eyes" are also extremely accomplished. The drumming is top notch, as with most metalcore, although nothing jaw dropping. It basically follows the formula, which is what most of the record does...

...And is ultimately is what detracts from Fear My Thoughts appeal. While they are talented musicians and great song writers, they just sound way too much like everything else. There's little distinction between them and most other bands in the same music scene. While they do add some interesting synths and electronic elements in places ("The Master's Call", "Windows For The Dead"), it's hardly enough to make them amazingly different from anything you've probably heard before. The addition of clean vocals this time around are also a major downfall. I like my fair share of melody in heavy music, but where Fear My Thoughts tries, it doesn't work well. Songs like the opener "Windows For The Dead" and track 3 "In The Hourglass" are rolling along fine until the melodic crooning starts. While it's far from being a whiny, high-pitched emo howl, the melody just doesn't fit with the band or it's sound. "Trying To Feel..." is ambitious, and especially in the musical department it is welcomed addition, but the vocals don't really do much to take the song to a higher level. There's no denying the band is at their absolute best on pieces like "My Delight" and "Sadist Hour" where they're not trying to throw out catchy choruses. There's also a significant lack of breakdowns as compared to other previous releases, furthering the comparison to metal, rather than their roots in hardcore.

Still "Hell, Sweet Hell" is definitely Fear My Thoughts most accomplished record. When reviewing I had to compare it to the band's earlier albums, which in turn makes this look like a masterpiece. Compared to the rest of today's metal and hardcore I'd say it's more of a 3 star, maybe 3.5 at the most, but in relation to their earliest recordings this definitely the band's opus (4 or 4.5). If you do listen to this record, I'd encourage you to also listen to anything previous you can get from the band ("The Great Collapse" is easy, "Vitriol" and "23" are harder to find) to see how much significant growth this band has taken. For that alone I give them credit, and that's why I like this record. It's best to listen to every once in a while, or hear live, because constant exposure will mostly likely lead to boredom. Overall not a bad record in the least, and undoubtably FMT's finest effort yet. Hopefully these guys can continue to grow and keep evolving, because they have tons of potential. As for now "Hell, Sweet Hell" will do.

5.0 out of 5 stars their best, August 25, 2005

By 

Greg (Bakersfield, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hell Sweet Hell (Audio CD)

I was pretty excited to hear FMT had a new cd coming out. The Great Collapse was indeed well, but i thought they could have done better. and they did. Hell Sweet Hell blew my mind. i had heard the songs from their label, Lifeforce. i was so impressed i had to buy the cd. everything about this cd is great. the few clean vocals that there are, are great. his high and low screams are killer. the melodies and thrash style make this cd great. and yes they do have breakdowns. imagine something along the lines of In Flames' Colony/Clayman with some breakdowns...good stuff

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fear this album..., September 13, 2005

By 

tK - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hell Sweet Hell (Audio CD)

I understand this band was a metalcore album, and this is the only album I have by them. I will tell you right now that it is fantastic. It has heavy melodic death elements, hints of industrial metal, and some metalcore elements. But in general, this is a great melodic death album. Actually, many of the songs sound nothing like American music. You do not understand how many times I've listened to this album after getting it, which is rare because it either has to be original and catchy, or somewhat inspiring. What I truly enjoyed was how some songs had singing, while others were very heavy. These elements are presented with 2 different types of vocals. My favorite, being the growling vocals, sounds monstrous combined with european-sounding riffs (very death-metalish), and Fear My Thought's sound is nowhere near just imitation. When I listen to bands like As I Lay Dying, I feel as if they are trying to copy Swedish bands. Fear My Thoughts is nothing like that, and they can very well be passed on as a European band in some songs. In others, I did feel industrial moments such as "In the Hourglass." The singing is put to a minimal, and isn't used as part of choruses. I highly recommend this album, as I come back for it many times while listening to music.