Falling In Reverse – The Drug In Me Is You

What’s notable about Falling In Reverse’ debut full length you ask?  Well, other than the fact that it was written after former Escape The Fate (and current Falling In Reverse) vocalist Ronnie Radke was released after two years in prison, not a whole lot.  As far as pop-laced, hook-laden metalcore goes, their debut full length, The Drug In Me Is You, is little more than a glitzy package of over-produced, verse-chorus-verse status quo – the type that places its best foot forward only to repeatedly trip over it’s own flailing lack of inhibition.

The Drug In Me Is You’s biggest downfall rests in how overly busy and over the top the whole affair comes across.  With very little sense of pacing, Radke’s compositions throw the entirety of his creative being into every song to the point where each track bleeds into the last.  Once you’ve heard the admittedly catchy first minute of album opener “Raised By Wolves” there’s little incentive to progress.  There’s only so many times you can be steamrolled by an eclectic mix of electronics, squeaky-clean vocals, brutal hardcore barks, chugging breakdowns, and Iron Maiden-era metal hooks and still regard it as remarkable.  That being said, at the very least “Raised By Wolves” serves as a competent album summary that doesn’t particularly overly abuse any of its elements as per follow-up “Tragic Magic.”  This self-inflating, Black Parade-era My Chemical Romance knock-off is but a few octaves shy of nails on a chalkboard.  “That’s why they call me the king of the music scene” sings Radke in a clean and polished whine sure to make eye-shadow abusing adolescent girls weak in the knees.  Radke’s shameless ego serves is an undeniable crutch, with the trendily titled “I’m Not A Vampire” being a particularly grating offender (although I should credit the decent guitar solo).

Lyrically Falling In Reverse achieves little beyond obnoxiousness.  “Sexy, please text me, I’m ready for you, I’m waiting, I’m begging, so please get here soon” sings Radke in “Good Girls Bad Guys” with the melodic choral clincher, “So why do good girls like bad guys, I’ve had this question for a real long time, I’ve been a bad boy and it’s plain to see – so why do good girl’s fall in love with me.”  I commonly complain that lyrics get lost under layers of metalcore grunts – here I wish it were the case.

In the context of a forgettable album, one of the band’s hidden successes surfaces in “Pick Up The Phone.”  At about the album’s half-way point this curious tune demonstrates that the concept of pacing isn’t entirely lost on Radke (or perhaps it’s the producer’s doing…).  For once the band operates at a reduced tempo while taking advantage of their slick hooks, opening with a gradual percussion-based phase-in in which they keep their collective cool.  They say that sometimes less is more, and “Pick Up The Phone” makes a convincing statement.

In the end, metalcore goers could do a lot worse, and to Falling In Reverse’s credit, they have some baseline talent.  The Drug In Me Is You suffers from the same symptoms of most mediocre metal offerings – it gets lost in the moment and ignores any sense of building a bigger picture (a personal trait further echoed by the conditions leading up to Radke’s prison time).  Worth poaching for a track or two if this is your thing, otherwise I can’t see much incentive.