Falling In Reverse - The Drug In Me Is You Review

It’s been awhile since we’ve heard music from the scandalous frontman Ronnie Radke. Since his work on Escape The Fate’s debut record, Dying Is Your Latest Fashion, it’s safe to say he’s had quite a long five year time period. There’s hardly a reason to go into detail as to where he’s been – it would take up the whole review – but he’s back and ready to rock with his new band, Falling In Reverse.

Basically picking up right where his work with Escape The Fate abruptly ended, Radke returns with his signature vocal prowess, sounding just as he did back in 2006. It’s all there: his vocals, the screams, the soaring guitars – even the cover art resembles that of Dying Is Your Latest Fashion. However, the comparisons just about stop there. Falling In Reverse simply try too much with The Drug In Me Is You. Odd vocal structures, overdone instrumentation, and appalling lyrics will turn quite a few fans of Radke’s previous work away, or at least those of us who have grown out of his earlier music. Although many will eat this up, nonetheless, I’m sure.

The opening “Raised By Wolves” begins channeling a little My Chemical Romance before Falling In Reverse pick up the energy. The line “I have learned that my fate is something I cannot escape” clearly alludes to his old band, and the track itself could fit right alongside “Situations.” As one of the best songs on the record, “Raised By Wolves” kicks the record off with the best foot forward. Likewise, tracks such as the following “Pick Up The Phone” and “I’m Not A Vampire” prove that the guys definitely have a knack for catchy tunes, with the latter being one of the most standout tracks on the record....full text Ronnie Radke is a free man, and his new outfit picks up exactly where Escape The Fate’s ‘Dying Is Your Latest Fashion’ left off – with sharp, riffing emo-rock. Lyrically he’s vicious - ‘Tragic Magic’ is an obvious stab at his former bandmates (“you’re such a dumb fuck, you need to shut up, you bring a picture of me every time you get a haircut: imposter” anyone?) while elsewhere he falls into the ‘woe is me’ camp (“I’m so high on misery, can’t you see?”) but what do you expect from a man who’s spent the best part of the last two years inside? Angry and scathing, Radke’s return is welcome....full text It’s fair to say that there is a certain amount of expectation when it comes to Falling in Reverse’s debut album, The Drug In Me Is You. Most people curious about the album will be familiar with frontman Ronnie Radke’s past in Escape the Fate and his 2 ½ year stint in prison (which ended in December last year). Many people who enjoyed Dying Is Your Latest Fashion-era Escape The Fate but have felt alienated by Radke’s replacement and their subsequent albums have high hopes that this could hark back to those days. But whether you’re hoping for DIYLF Pt. 2 or just looking for a fun and exciting pop-metal record, The Drug In Me Is You will disappoint you.

Writing catchy metalcore is fine if can you do it well, and Ronnie Radke’s clean and polished voice is obviously well suited for large melodic hooks. Unfortunately, Falling in Reverse have noticed this. Surely this should be a good thing? Not when it’s relied on this much. Almost every song sounds the same in that they employ a verse-chorus structure with a large, poppy chorus over chugging guitars. Since the vocals are practically the only point of interest 90% of the time, this leaves nothing to fall back on should it fail to capture the listener. Which it does. A lot.

That’s the part that Falling In Reverse have failed to consider. Can they actually, consistently, write catchy melodies? Consistently, no. Of course there are one or two particularly catchy songs, notably the title track with its “I've lost my god damn mind/It happens all the time/I can't believe I'm actually/Meant to be here/Trying to consume/The drug in me is you” chorus. People may also find a couple or more specific other songs appealing but with the exception of the title track the rest of the album is completely hit and miss; and usually the latter. The fundamental problem is simply that the melodies just aren’t that great. It doesn’t help that Radke’s shrill voice becomes extremely irritating by the end of the record. But at least they're always better his screams (just listen to the ending of “Don’t Mess With Ouija Boards”)....full text