Holding a Wolf By Ears [Import]

From Autumn To Ashes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 9, 2007)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Toy's Factory Japan
• ASIN: B000PMGSY0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,516,609 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

From the Artist

"Most of the record is just about living. At this point I don't think that music inspires me to make more music. Going out and living inspires me to make music. It seems like most people don't believe in themselves enough to take risks," he says. "So many people are unhappy - they let their happiness take a backseat to their obligations, and our society really reinforces that. Also, it seems like the middle ground between having total faith and not having any is vanishing and that middle ground was what functioned best. A lot of lyrics are inspired by the idea that extremes are dangerous." -Francis Mark --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Product Description

The music From Autumn to Ashes created on Holding A Wolf By The Ears heralds a new beginning for the New York-based band. "I want to do everything I can to get people to realize that this is really like a new band," says Francis Mark, lead vocalist.

The most recognizable sign of this reinvention is Mark's recent shift from drummer to drummer and full-time vocalist, a result of the departure of former lead singer Benjamin Perri. But over the course of the album's 12 tracks, it becomes clear that for the band, that more has changed than just a voice. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A surprising release, June 5, 2007

By 

Pierre Schifflers (Thailand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Holding a Wolf By the Ears (Audio CD)

This record was quite a surprise for me as a more recent fan of From Autumn To Ashes. Indeed, my friend was the one who introduced me to this band with their 2005 release "Abandon Your Friends". I enjoyed this record thoroughly as it had a good blend of soft emo songs as well as brutal and well exectuted metalcore songs. Little did I know that this was not at all the same style of music the band had previously produced.

Therefore, when I listened to this cd I was as eagerly waiting for the beautiful softer songs as well as the metalcore songs. I was quite surprised to find out that there were actually no soft songs to be found on this cd but instead a series of well-written metal songs with melodic choruses. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised to find improved metal songs but I was disappointed to not find a single softer track.

The drumming on this release is significantly stronger than on the last album, indeed, more blast beats can be noticed and the fills sound more like what they did on tracks like "The After Dinner payback" which is good to hear. The clean vocals have also improved slightly, although we can still hear that Mark is not fully confident (his voice is still slightly shaky at times). However, I am quite disappointed with Mark's screams. Indeed, the last singer (Ben Perri) performed very strong and confident metalcore vocals while Mark has more of a bark which does get annoying after a while.

From Autumn To Ashes are obviously moving forwards with their metal roots, however I do believe that a change of screaming vocals could be very benefitial for the band.

I would recommend any old fan of the band to definitely get their hands on this new disc, however if people who listened to "Abandon Your Friends" mainly enjoyed the softer songs, I would not recommend this new release.

Pierre Schifflers

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FATA gets it back., March 19, 2007

By 

Greg (Long Island, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Holding a Wolf By the Ears (Audio CD)

We all know the drama that resulted in the departure of lead vocalist Ben, as well as the abysmal release that was "Abandon Your Friends." From Autumn to Ashes seem completely aware of how bad that album was, and decided to return to the studio quickly for "Holding a Wolf by the Ears." Former drummer/vocalist Francis has taken over all the vocals, and I am almost tempted to say that this is how it always should have been. Francis does a great job handling both the screaming and singing on the album. The band has also matured a great deal in terms of musicianship and songwriting. People like me who basically gave up on this band years ago should be pleasantly surprised with this album. Not only is it their best album since "Too Bad You're Beautiful," it is probably also their most aggressive.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Head Of The Wolf Pack, November 26, 2007

By 

Jason Custer - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Holding a Wolf By the Ears (Audio CD)

In 2000 a little-known band released a four track EP with incredible potential titled Sin, Sorrow, and Sadness. That band was From Autumn To Ashes and that EP was the start of it all. FATA's 2001 debut disk Too Bad You're Beautiful lived up to and shattered any and every expectation for this Long Island, New York emo-metal crew. Produced by Adam D. from Killswitch Engage, Too Bad You're Beautiful has for 6 years been the peak of the careers of drummer/vocalist Francis Mark, guitarist Brian Deneeve, guitarist Scott Gross, bassist Mike Pilato, and lead vocalist Benjamin Perry. A lot has changed since their 2001 opus. The only original members of the band left are Deneeve and Mark. Their 2003 release The Fiction We Live and 2005's Abandon Your Friends were both very good albums, but were never close to the power and spark this crew had the first time around. Many long-time fans, myself included, feared they may never get that spark back in the studio. Days before recording their new album, front man Ben Perry announced that the spark that had kept him going for so many years was gone. Holding a Wolf by the Ears features Francis Mark taking on the band's lead vocal duties and taking full control of the band. The aggression on this disk is palpable. While the dense, urgent, metallic power of Wolf suggests Adam D. got behind the boards and made this band shine once again, this indie masterwork was actually crafted by Brian McTernan. From Autumn to Ashes overpower and outshine KSE's new release on ALL fronts. Mark's mellow tracks of past releases have been replaced with riffs and hooks catchy and heavy enough to make Adam D. green with envy. Tunes like "Deth Kult Social Club," "Daylight Slaving," "Everything I Need," "Love it Or Left It," and "Pioneers" are among the best and heaviest of this band's career. Every song fits together effortlessly. Every song is stellar. Fact is that FATA will never have another Too Bad You're Beautiful. There will never be another "Reflections." There will never be another "Short Stories with Tragic Endings." However, there may never be another Holding a Wolf by the Ears. The epic tracks of the past will never be rivaled, but the overwhelming power and musicianship of this new album likely won't be matched by ANY band in the near future. FATA has a new vocalist, an amazing new album, and a brand new bench mark to work with. Anyone interested in ANY band with singing and screaming owes it to themselves to buy this album. It's honest, powerful, earnest, and overwhelming. It's everything a great album should be. From Autumn To Ashes is back on track to the top of the indie wolf pack.