The Demo Review:

	There are currently 1 Reviews of this Demo. Average Rating: 2
Band Name: By Fear I Fall Demo Title: Sun Obscured Band Members: Jason Scotti (Guitar), Tim Fagan (Vocals), Paul Riccobono (Guitar), Vin Cin (Bass), Pat Shea (Drums). Location:Staten Island, NY Email for This Artist Official Web Site for This Artist Discuss on the Metal Judgment Web Board

Musashi's Review:
I don't know what to do with this band. There are some excellent moments on By Fear I Fall's demo, Sun Obscured, and then there are parts that really suck. Obviously, this band is confused as to whether or not they want to succeed. If they are trying to spend the rest of their days playing in Staten Island and remaining unsigned, then they are on the right track. If By Fear I Fall are actually interested in becoming a metal band with a career, then they have to get their shit together.
They sent a CD-R demo in a small CD sleeve with a piece of cardboard and a 4" x 4" piece of paper with the song titles, band members and contact info on it: the bare minimum. They couldn't get it together to enclose a picture, a bio, or a letter. I couldn't find any photos of them on the website, but I did see a short bio that again made me question their sincerity. According to the bio, the songs on this demo were from Jason Scotti's old band and he just reworked them with the new singer. They even describe Sun Obscured as, "a rough recording of mostly old ideas, the demo only hints at the band's current direction." That is not what a demo should be. I don't really care to hear their old ideas, nor do I want to guess at what their current direction is. A demo should be fresh and exciting and give a sense of where the band is right now. A rough recording is fine so long as the demo captures the true nature of the band.
Nonetheless, the first three songs, "Take Me Away," "Walking Blind," and "Numb," are decent tracks and if the demo ended right there, I would be fine with it. However, By Fear I Fall had a huge lapse of judgment and decided to put "So It Goes" on the demo. This was a horrible idea. No demo should ever include a bad instrumental track. It also should go without saying (but I'll say it anyway) that a band should never release a recording where the instruments are out of tune. This is exactly the type of stupid decision that makes me question everything about this band.
The CD has two more tracks, "Atrophy" and "Burning." These two tracks are right back in line with the first three songs. The overall sound and style is death metal. It is good but not great. The recording is good but not great. The musicianship is good but not great. So overall I'm left with a lukewarm opinion of By Fear I Fall. They seem to have all the right influences and enough talent to get by, but they are stuck in mediocrity. If they kicked themselves in the ass they could be above par, but for now they are only a two skull band.

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