Photo Credit: Ulle Media
Just like fashion, trends come in and out, and that’s what is happening with nu-metal. It is back. Of course, the debate regarding its coolness still exists, but Gen Z are here for it. It bonds Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z together to support up-and-coming artists.
Hailing from Germany, twins Philip and Lukas Wilhelm (vocals and guitar), Simon Triem (keyboard), León Arend (bassist) and Benedikt Veith (drummer) make From Fall To Spring. The band boasts an impressive amount of streams on Spotify and a mass following on TikTok and Instagram. No wonder Arising Empire (one of Germany’s biggest rock and metal labels) snatched them up and in 2022, they played Full Force and Pell Mell Festival.
After the success of their self-produced EPs A Better Tomorrow (2017) and Disconnected (2019), the band are set to release their debut album, RISE. Although fans and those who love Electric Callboy and/or Linkin Park can head to From Fall To Spring’s Spotify now, and discover ten of the eleven songs now.
Despite the pandemic, the band continued to create and put together an album that would eventually become known as RISE. Talking to Heavy New York about the album, the brothers described how “each song brings a new vibe to it [the album]” as they experimented and developed their sound during a tough time for many, including learning how to blend hip-hop with ne-metal and rapping.
Although BR4INFCK opens the new album, Black Heart is a banger in its own right. With themes of lost love, toxic love and betrayal prominent, Philip Wilheim’s lyrics speak to those who have been in this situation. However, instead of moping, there is a fire within them that spurs them on as it is “mine for the taking.” Throughout, they use a motif that sounds like drops and emphasises the deep weight of emotions addressed lyrically. At times the motif disappears but comes back when the lyrics cut deep to the core of how it feels to be in the situation as described.
Another tune listeners should pay attention to is Beastmode. Written in 2021, this track is on the lighter side as the band anticipated the end of lockdowns and the return to live shows across the globe. The 90s hip-hop vibe is evident, with samples being looped and melodic rapping, yet they blend it with metal to create an anthem that would get the crowd jumping. The band literally “rise up” musically and vocally as they go into beast mode a.k.a party mode. It is a joyous song that encourages listeners to enjoy life and let their inhibitions go as they celebrate being alive.
Finally, The Cursed One is the most different on the album. Opening with minimal sound, this song is the most stripped back in places, thus matching the emptiness people feel with the loss of freedom and the effects it has on mental health. Listeners are treated to Philip Wilhelm’s clear-cut vocals as he expresses the mundaneness of repeated tasks. With lines such as “daily, all I do is changing, fading, failing, only to begin again, it makes me sick to the core, I can’t take it anymore”, the band captures how many felt due to pandemic restrictions. Balancing the opening with very little instrumental is an incredible feat, as this further demonstrates the vulnerability people felt during the pandemic. However, the soft opening contrasts with the fast bars that Philip Wilhelm lays down whilst Lukas Wilhelm, Triem, Arend and Veith come in with a heavier beat. Listeners can feel the desperation and the feeling of insanity seeping in during the chorus, before returning to the less textured state previously. In particular, The Cursed One shares similarities to Linkin Park’s In The End stylistically and the message of acceptance.
Their approach is combining catchy hooks and melodies with 808s and heavy guitars, all whilst keeping listeners’ attention with technical rap rhymes not seen since the 90s. From Fall To Spring are reviving nu-metal and showing both old and new fans of the genre that it deserves to be taken seriously.
8/10
Standout Tracks: BR4INFCK, Supernova, The Cursed One
For Fans Of: Linkin Park, From Ashes to New, Electric Callboy
Written by: Jo Lisney
