Conflict

Falling Cycle's debut album on Facedown Records is a brazen, straight-ahead approach of metal. Mixing the breakdowns utilized in much of the mosh-laden new school hardcore and the machine-gun, double bass driven-stylings of some speed and grind metal, they churn out ten songs that are without a doubt metal-core. At times the band is reminiscent of East Coast metalheads, Darkest Hour, while other times they seem to have much more in common with bands like No Innocent Victim. More often than not on the album, however, they tend to lean more towards the metal influences, especially the Scandinavian ones. The vocals are throaty and full of volume, but limited in range. The Conflict certainly shows how a band can successfully form a bridge between metal and hardcore, yet in many ways this album's material seems dated and hardly relevant on a musical creativity level.