Pride And Fall - Red For The Dead - Black For The Mourning

I can't say I've ever listened to Pride and Fall all that much but I've heard of them here and there on internet forums and have heard their names bounce around once in a while. That being said, they are a Norwegian synth/futurepop band who hasn't changed their line-up since they were first incarnated. They have released four full length albums prior to this one, which with a little math you can make out to be their fifth album. And, well, while I can say that the production on Pride and Fall's latest album Red For The Dead - Black For The Mourning is very well off, the actual songs are sort of hit and miss. 

The first three tracks are generic dancefloor tracks that could possibly get the club moving, but for me they were mediocre at best. 'Noises Within' was a bit of an oddity as it was an ambient track that had the sounds of an airplane taking off in the end. I sort of felt crisis when coming into 'Start Of A New Day' as I felt both songs just played on one too many stereotypes of the futurepop genre. 

However, when it came to 'Broken Men', I brightened up a bit because this track was excellent. Good beats, good writing, and a little electronic foreplay led to it being a lovely song. I felt the same way for the rock influenced song 'The Sentiment Was False', which had superb walls of synths blasting from all directions. However, the final two songs sunk into previously explored territory and I was let down. 

In order for Pride and Fall to evolve from where they currently are, they need to break away from the stereotypical futurepop mold they are bound to and be unique and different. I don't want to hear the same sound I can get from other bands; I want something new. They have good production abilities with high quality, they just need to change it into something better. 

But, form your own opinion. Here's an official lyric video for one of my preferred songs off the album 'Broken Men': 


Aug 19 2016