Description

During the turbulent dissolvent of Exhorder, guitarist Jay Ceravolo was attempting to keep the band together by hunting down a new lead singer. Wil Buras was the man Ceravolo was most impressed by, but Buras turned the situation around and asked Ceravolo to join the band he was forming. Hence ‘Fall From Grace’ was created, rounded out by bassist Marc Hernandez and drummer Eric Stierwalk. After demoing material throughout 1995, they signed to Fierce Records and recorded their eponymous debut in 1997. This self titled debut takes on some deep, dark subjects in the lyrics, all of which help to make the listener feel like they are not the only ones who have gone through such dark periods in their lives. Fall From Grace move from faster, more intense pieces (‘Snake Eyed Savior’) to more plodding melodies that should scare the evil out of anyone (‘It Ain’t Like That’, ‘Gone’), while they rarely if ever lose the foundation of a song with a recognizable melody. If songs like ‘Seven Shades Of Grey’ are any example of what Fall From Grace is capable of, then predicting great success for them would be relatively easy. But despite the strengths in the lyrics, sometimes one longs to hear Ceravolo just let loose on his guitar and pull out a flailing-limb solo to go along with the music. While his more controlled guitar work has its merits, one can’t help longing for something a little rawer. (Bassist Marc Hernandez and drummer Eric Stierwald provide a very solid backbone to the band. Especially noteworthy is Stierwald’s use of the double bass in some songs.) The slower, more sinister plodding songs are a matter of people’s tastes. I personally liked the more uptempo numbers on Fall From Grace, as I heard a little more anxiousness in songs like ‘Seven Shades Of Grey’. Others might find the slower numbers more appealing than the faster songs. Maybe one of the things holding the band back was that Ceravolo didn’t want to recreate Exhorder with this band; as the outsider coming in, he probably just wanted to fit his guitar in with what the rest of the band was doing. (His rhythm work is astounding, however). As a debut effort, it’s worth your attention.

Track listing:
1. Snake Eyed Savior
2. Seven Shades of Grey
3. Feel
4. Never
5. Before It Grows
6. It Ain’t Like That
7. Gone
8. Hero Zero
9. Open Arms and Broken Hands
10. Violent Truth
11. Sin (Takes Over)