On a cold winter night in December, For The Fallen Dreams singer Dylan Richter told us that their upcoming album would “be pretty much the same.. melodic hardcore with a little more singing”. Nothing is less true. We were prepared by Dylan’s words, but it’s a record to get used to. Relentless was an outstanding record and one of my personal favorite’s. The addition of more clean vocals and some softer melodies caused a small change in sound. Though, Back Burner still has the heaviness you can expect from FTFD.

The main element to get used to are Dylan’s clean vocals. You’ll wil recognize them of FTDD’s previous albums, but they’re fairly more present in the new tracks. They get accompanied with more melodic riffs, which makes the outcome a bit softer. The heavy riffs are still a big part of Back Burner which keep the energy level high.

As said in the interview this album is “more emotional than the last one”. The lyrics are about personal experiences in life and express their thoughts and feelings. The first single of Back Burner, ‘The Big Empty’, is about relationships and processing problems and frustrations. It’s one of my favorite tracks of the album, because of its catchy refrain, fast riffs and heavy breaks. FTFD just released a video for the track which can be found here.

‘My Anthem-Like Symphony’ might have a cliche intro and not be very renewing, but the balance between all the different elements is superb. Strong lyrics about troubled times and hard feelings between two persons make this a very convincing song.

‘Yellow’ surprised me because the guest performance of Lower Than Atlantis‘ front man Mike Duce. It’s not an exceptional song, but Mike gives an interesting twist to their sound by his authentic voice.

Back Burner finishes up with the powerful message “fight for what is right”. The song has an exquisite guitar sound which make this song stand out among others. ‘Fist Fight’ is a great finale to a great follow-up record.

A small point of criticism: the transitions from one track to another aren’t flawless. They’re often too long, which makes you think that the CD is finished.

FTFD delivered an outstanding album once again and Back Burner is out now on Rise Records. Support these guys and pick up a copy!

Track listing:
1. Say What You Will
2. Deep Down Inside
3. Complicate The Situation
4. Only Unopened Arms
5. My Anthem-Like Symphony
6. The Big Empty
7. Bottom Feeders
8. Don’t Give Up, Don’t Give In
9. The Human Collective
10. Let Go
11. Yellow
12. Fist Fight