Album Review: Hopesfall - 'Magnetic North'

I used to love Hopesfall. I’m

talking straight up hero worship here. Their mix of abrasive, screamed

vocals and ambient guitar parts was intelligent without being pretentious

– aggressive without being un-listenable. Unfortunately the wheels

have well and truly fallen off because Hopesfall in the year 2007 sounds

like a cheap knock off of other scene luminaries rather than their own

unique selves.  

That’s not say there isn’t

anything to like about Magnetic North. There are some great riffs and

most of the songs have some excellent parts but unfortunately there

isn’t anything on this record that can hold a candle to songs like

“Open Hands To The Wind” or “Only The Clouds”. Many of the tracks

on Magnetic North feel slapped together rather than cohesive songs. 

At the end of the day, even Hopesfall’s

most average songs are better than most of the crap being churned out

by other bands, but I’ve come to expect so much from them that anything

less than perfection feels like a disappointment. 

Opening track “RX Contender

The Pretender” is one of the strongest tracks on the album – it’s

just unfortunate that it sounds EXACTLY like White Pony era Deftones.

On the plus side, the riffing is better than anything Hopesfall had

on A-Types.  

If you haven’t heard Magnetic

North you may scoff at the comparison, but “Swamp Kittens” sounds

a hell of a lot like our own Horsell Common. Now, I’m in no way suggesting

that Hopesfall are mimicking HC, but it’s just another example of

how a lot of the material on Magnetic North has already been done by

other bands. 

“Second Hand Surgery” is easily

the strongest track on the record. It flows from start to finish unlike

the rest of the record and Jay’s vocals compliment the guitar work

perfectly. “The Canon” is another great track but again, it sounds

note for note like the Deftones.  

One thing which stood out about

Magnetic North is Jay Forrest’s vocal performance – and not in a

good way. On at least half the songs his voice sounds strained, like

he’s unable to hit the notes he wanted to so he’s settled for something

else. Unfortunately, that something else ends up sounding a little off. 

As I mentioned earlier, there

is still a lot to like about Magnetic North, but if you’re expecting

epic, ambient rock then you’d better look somewhere else. If on the

other hand, you can’t wait for the Deftones to release another album

then give Magnetic North a go.

1. RX Contender The Pretender
2. Swamp Kittens
3. Cubic Zirconia’s

   Are Forever

4. I Can Do This On An

   Island

5. Secondhand Surgery
6. Vacation/Add/Vacation!
7. Magnetic No