The Great Collapse

Germany's Fear My Thoughts has been described as a band that went from playing old-school hardcore to more modern metalcore. But truth be told, The Great Collapse isn't pure, unadulterated metalcore in the way that ferocious bands like Brick Bath, Rotten Sound, Hatebreed, and Throwdown are pure, unadulterated metalcore. Although metalcore is definitely an influence — a strong one, in fact — what Fear My Thoughts does on this 2004 release is best described as an intriguing blend of the screamo/melodic hardcore/post-hardcore aesthetic and the melodic death metal style that one associates with At the Gates, Opeth, the Haunted, and other Nordic headbangers. In its own sledgehammer way, The Great Collapse is more melodic than a lot of the totally vicious music that is considered metalcore in the 21st century; while a band like Finland's Rotten Sound is mercilessly unforgiving, Fear My Thoughts gives listeners some breathing room. There are parallels between The Great Collapse and the American screamo that one associates with bands like From Autumn to Ashes, Hopesfall, and the Postman Syndrome; however, the average screamo crew isn't nearly as cognizant of Scandinavian death metal as Fear My Thoughts' five members are on this CD. Lead vocalist Mathias Ockl, in fact, has a way of fluctuating between tortured metalcore-style screaming and the demonic-style growling one associates with death metal/black metal and grindcore. And when all is said and done, The Great Collapse gives the impression that Fear My Thoughts is aggressively striving for originality. This 2004 release is a bit uneven; some of the tunes are better constructed than others. Nonetheless, The Great Collapse has more hits than misses and makes listeners want to keep a close eye on these German moshers.