Fei Comodo

Behind The Bright Lights

Written by: TL on 29/12/2012 15:30:03

When listening to the sheer badassery that opens "The Night Falls", the first song off "Behind The Bright Lights", the debut LP from English underground heroes Fei Comodo, it is hard to fathom that this album is also the last release from the band before they broke up earlier this year. Of course the late album sentimental ballad "On The Road", which laments the disconnection between touring life and home life, paints a different picture - and admittedly the band's mix of melodic rock and metalcore, following clean choruses with screams and pummelling guitars like it's 2006, is not all that trendy these days - but still my overall feeling listening to "Behind The Bright Lights" is that it's an album that clears its inherent hurdles more often than not.

Take the high strung, British clean vocals, in which singer Marc Halls - who reminds me of InMe's Dave McPherson or Protest The Hero's Rody Walker in sound - holds absolutely nothing back: I'm sure the constant strain in his voice will put some listeners off, but his sound is at least highly recognisable, and it suits the expression when it is engaged with good melodies, which is the case on more than one occasion here. Opening one-two punch "The Night Falls" and "No Way Out", as well as the previously released "A Man Left Behind", all provide solid evidence of as much. Then there's also the technicality and the diversity in both song structures and riffage, which at some times is reminiscent of InMe's proggy 2012 effort "The Pride" and at other, heavier moments leans towards the blazing metalcore of Bury Tomorrow..

It all adds up to a record that feels especially compelling when technicality and drama both are maxed out in songs that do indeed take the listener "Behind The Bright Lights", with raw lyrics about the ups and downs of band life ("On The Road", "This Is What We Live For" etc.). It makes you feel like Fei Comodo have integrity and ambition both, without bothering with being unnecessarily cryptic or overly artistic, and as such they offer mosh-and-singalong-friendly music for the increasingly rare breed of fans of post-hardcore and metalcore, that like to hear some forthcoming thought and feeling behind the slam downs. Simply put, "Behind The Bright Lights" strikes me as such a promising album, you really have to regret that it took Fei Comodo until their break-up to release it.

Download: The Night Falls, A Man Left Behind, No Way Out,
For The Fans Of: InMe, Funeral For A Friend, Bury Tomorrow, Protest The Hero
Listen: facebook.com/feicomodo

Release Date 16.07.2012
Small Town Records

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