Equal Vision Records has that unique ability in that it can pull together bands of nearly all varities of hardcore and virtually none of them sound remotely like anyone else on their roster. PREVENT FALLS hail from the lovely suburbs of New Jersey and have a very hard to define style of music that varies intensively between QUICKSAND or THURSDAY style post-hardcore, mixed with the fury of older H2O. Alongside the “groove” in the thick guitar sound is plenty of “crunch,” but nothing that borders on “chugga-chugga.” If anything, PREVENT FALLS have one of the smoothest sounding styles that I’ve ever heard, and their transitions between tempo atotally seamless. I’m not 100% sold on the vocals as it seems like the singer is bored on occasion, but that’s probably something that will erase as this band progresses (the guitar hooks are good enough to take focus away from the vocals anyway). “A Newer More Shattering You,” comes bundled up like a screaming baby in a basket. With every twist and turn, a new emotion screams for attention. As the screams become less descreet, the music gets a tad more forceful. This disc reaches its intensity apex with the ninth track, “Redeye,” where PREVENT FALLS shifts gears into a wickedly fast skatecore format full of double-bass fury and vocal disgust. It’s one of the few moments where cocalist, Jeff Carter, lets down his guard and allows his inner beast to lurch out as he screams, “Guess what I just figured out? I hate every single person, almost every single soul who lives and breathes and dies.” As this tune focuses on a particularly low-moment in faith in humanity, PREVENT FALLS displays their talent for pin-pointing a dagger in the right direction. As a debut full-length, there are a few miscues, most of which are relatively harmless. A few of the songs, and especially the last one, “The Woods are Burning” drag a bit in length, and given that this band has proven that they are mostly an exceptionally tight unit that uses their time well, these “blah” momments tend to stick out. The production quality is solid overall, but the drums definitely get lost amid the upfront guitars, most specifically with the bass pedals. Back to the positives – the lyrics are well thought-out and remind me a bit in spirit of SAVES THE DAY’s second album, “Through Being Cool,” without the juvenile references. PREVENT FALLS aren’t exactly discussing third-world financial policy, (which is fine by me!), but their stories and observations are definitely quick witted. Finally, the artwork for this disc is simple in concept, but long on beauty. I’m a sucker for a “white” design that emphasizes an understated ease and this one just strikes me as cool. This may be the first Equal Vision Release that I’ve ever reviewed that didn’t immediately blow me off my feet, but after repeated listens, I’m clearly warming up to this band, and given their young age, I have a feeling that experience will serve them real well.

Equal Vision

www.equalvision.com