Customer Reviews

Holding a Wolf By Ears

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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

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.

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.

I agree with the previous review. When I found out about Ben's departure, I was skeptical about their sound. As soon as I popped this disk in and heard Francis go, I knew I had nothing to worry about. Their sound is different, probably better since Too Bad You're Beautiful, and Francis shows us that From Autumn To Ashes never will let us down no matter what changes they go through.

For those of you who are FATA fans, and were a little discouraged at the softer edge of Abandon Your Friends, Holding a Wolf By the Ears will knock your socks back off. They took the extreme edge from their earlier work, and made it RAGE! This has to be the a close tie with The Fiction We Live for one of the greatest albums of all time. Trust me, if you are a true fan, this does not disappoint, it makes you smile and remember just why we love FATA!

So about a year ago was when I first heard From Autumn to Ashes, a classmate gave me a burned copy of "Abandon Your Friends" and I was really impressed. I only liked a few songs and when I backtracked to "The Fiction We Live" I was even more blown away and AYF became old news. THEN I heard Reflections, and the original version on "Too Bad Youre Beautiful" and immediately made this band one of my all time favorite groups. I recently heard they lost their lead vocalist Benjamin Perry and I was skeptical of a possible new sound.
I must say that from the drama leading to this album, Holding a Wolf by the Ears is an opus of a rock album. Francis' vocals are simply meaningful and his fluctuating scream to sing vocals are what I like most about certain rock bands like this (see Dir en grey)....the album seems very different but I personally believe in change for the better and damn have they achieved a new level of sound. Ive been listening to this album nonstop. If youve never heard this band before, buy this album and then skip all the way to "Too Bad You're Beautiful".....(Abandon Your Friends is the only album that I did NOT pay for)

From Autumn To Ashes seems to keep going downhill, and while this is a HUGE step up from Abandon Your Friends, it's nowhere near Too Bad You're Beautiful, but I will give credit where it's due, the music is advanced beyond what they've been, thanks to the line-up changes, but the downfall is Francis Mark (the drummer and formerly back up vocalist) now doing all of the vocals including the screaming (which I'm pretty sure will be a huge downfall in their live performances) Overall I'd say it's an album worth the money to check out if you were a fan of Abandon Your Friends, or if you're just getting introduced to the band, but if your musical preception of this band comes from Too Bad You're Beautiful, I wouldn't waste your time.

Francis Mark has outdone himself on FATA's final album. Every song tiptoes the line of pure genius that has never been seen before in music. The integration of Nietzschian and existential philosophy in relation to the contemporary world is a special feat, and I hope to point out specific examples in several songs:

Perhaps the best example of Nietzsche's writings, and Fran's subsequent views of modern decay can be seen in "Daylight Slaving". To being, Nietzsche's 1885 book "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" speaks of the Übermensch and how these select people will overcome "the herd" and see life for what it really is. Nietzsche wrote that at the beginning of life, the Übermensch experience great confusion and a feeling of being lost. The songs chorus of "Every battle has been fought and everything I think was thought // Down we, down we've descended // Every day keeps getting shorter as my sleeves start getting longer and the sidewalks overflow // We patronize pedestrians with no sense of direction // I am lost and can't ask a question" clearly shows the struggle of finding an existence in an inherently meaningless world.

Nietzsche's notion of eternal recurrence (the idea that every event and every thought has already happened and will happen an indefinite amount of times) is clearly seen in the line "Every battle has been fought and everything I think was thought."

"Down we, down we've descended" shows how the human spirit has suffered over the past few generations with the desensitization of violence and encouragement of becoming one with the masses, or "the herd" as Nietzsche would put it.

"Every day keeps getting shorter as my sleeves start getting longer and the sidewalks overflow" is a statement to how much emphasis we put on employment. It shows that we are increasingly becoming dependent on what we're told to do and how silly it is to remain true to our dreams.

"We patronize pedestrians with no sense of direction // I am lost and can't ask a question" put into context means that those of us who do questions 'the system' are more or less laughed at. We're held down by a society that isn't interested in finding out what it means to exist and would rather sit in front of their TV's while wasting their lives away. This is the most major struggle in life, and there is simply no one to seek answers from.

In the song "Delusions of Grandeur" we told right in the title how the masses find it idiotic to try and find yourself.

"We're living much too comfortably for me // Keep drifting, keep drifting aimlessly." This goes right back to the main point of the song that material possessions are running the world and how hard it is to find your way out of this ring of fire.

"You're something like a canvas that's been stretched and primed // You could become something priceless or you could be a waste of time" this is Fran explaining to you straight and clear that if you're looking into his music, then you're obviously searching for a way to define yourself. Everyone has the chance, but do you leave it or fight for it?

And of course the chorus "I need a meaning I can get behind // To be alone is to be alive // A better message to subscribe to // To be alone is to be alive // This is the best time to be alive // To be alone is to be alive // This is where complaining gets you // To be alone is to be alive" is a lesson from Fran telling you how you can accomplish the previous point. Find a meaning you can define yourself in, something you can support with your entire existence, don't blame your faulty actions on others, this is the best time to accomplish as so much sources and materials are right in front of you and to accomplish this feat you must decide on your own. No one can make your decisions, you and only you are in control of your life and don't let anymore make you think any different.

Moving onto "Everything I Need" reiterates everything said so far in more basic, understandable terms. The majorly corrupt concept of Christianity that has blinded many people in a false faith is shown in the lines "Innocent victims, they don't exist // Who told you this? // Outfit the nation with a blindfold and a crucifix // Infinite wisdom, a bullet for the pacifist // Improving methods to cripple the populace." It should also be noted that Nietzsche was a major antagonist of Christianity as he believed that is also a false faith meant for nothing more than blinding "the herd." I cannot say for sure or not if Fran is an atheist (never seen an interview where he discusses it), but I if I had to make a guess I would assume that he making more of a critique on modern, corrupt religion rather than a call for all to used phrase of "God is dead."

The song goes on with insightful lyrics as "Our fathers left behind the ugliest inheritance // Innocent victims // Its every kid who has a wish // Oh God you're in for the greatest disappointment." These lines are self explanatory and more or less claims that the generations before ours has ruined a large chunk of civilization that we are inheriting and meant to make something out of a terrible situation.

The most coded song from the album is "A Goat in Sheep's Rosary" and while I could go through every line giving my shot at an explanation, I'm only going to pick out the ones that are of utter importance to the album, and it also should be noted that this song ends the album for these precise reasons.

The chorus: "If it were not for this extensive book collection // I would know not what I've found // This world would still be flat // Mary would be a virgin // And I would still be sleeping sound" is a statement on how important it is to educate yourself and not take everything word for word you'll learn from the subjective textbooks of public (government) education. Look into alternative sources and make decisions for yourself and "wake up" in a sense.

The ending of the song may be the most important part of the album, as it states: "They say this country was based on hard work and integrity and worship in God. That's a lie. It was built on murder man. Mayhem, slavery and oppression. Lies, stealing and killing--that's what it's based on." This again shows how important it is to make conclusions based on your own observations and not what you are told to think. Live your life the way you want it to be. More lyrics to support this thought can be seen in: "When no one is ever right // And out on the fertile plains // We bathe in fractured rays of sunlight."

I would really enjoy to go into detail with each song from the album, but to accomplish that in a simple review on Amazon would be quite the challenge. I encourage everyone to read and think the songs mentioned above as well as some the other great tunes that can be found throughout the internet with a simple search (I highly recommend: Pioneers, What Good is My Virtue?, Hand the Mason, Y2K). The only thing I can hope for is that people consider Fran's and FATA's music in a different manner with a fresh outlook on what is possible. I may be looking into this too much, but when pointed out in specific examples that it is impossible to conclude that Fran just "wrote some lyrics" for the hell of it. He's an extremely intelligent being with a highly philosophical view on life which makes him one of the leading existentialists out there today. What was written philosophy in the past 200 years has died, making the headway for music and the power of the lyric to show us what is possible. The name of the album itself comes from a Thomas Jefferson quote in which he says, "...we have the wolf by the ear and feel the danger of either holding or letting him loose." You are the wolf. Don't hesitate--define who you are and do not let anyone stop you.

Prior to this album, From Autumn to Ashes had 3 albums that absolutely rocked. Perhaps no album could ever top The Fiction We Live, but this album comes close. This album features more screaming than Abandon Your Friends and is probably their most hardcore work since Too Bad You're Beautiful. It is as extreme as Too Bad You're Beautiful and as Melodic as The Fiction We Live. If you are a music fan, I'd say you this album is a must own!

Wow! This shipped right on time, no problems. This is (in my opinion) a masterpiece. This is a lot heavier than "Abandon Your Friends" and a lot better, I think. This truly is like a whole new band. I personally like the new lead singer. This is good metalsocre music and a great buy.