Blessthefall Return Stronger Than Ever With ‘GALLOWS’

Metalcore veterans Blessthefall have returned with their long awaited seventh studio album, with ‘GALLOWS’. This marks their first release in 7 years, and we’ve definitely felt it. It dives into what made the band as prominent as they were in the 2010’s, and they really own this type of nostalgic and heavy sound. 

The record starts off with a bang in the third single, “mallxcore”. This really feels like the band picking up right where they left off, and it’s awesome. It’s got heavy parts that scream mosh central, and melodies that are absolutely huge. The production right off the bat feels exactly where it needs to be for this band. And I just love the switch up breakdown at the end of this track, just a lot of fun. 

We follow up with the comeback single from this band from two years prior, with “Wake the Dead”. It’s got that chaotic and straightforward metalcore energy that was sorely missed from them. It makes all the sense in the world this being the song to come back with. The lead guitar parts by lead guitarist Eric Lambert absolutely rip on this one. The chorus feels even catchier here, with vocalist Beau Bokan hitting higher notes than usual. It really does a great job at maintaining that energy started with the opening track. 

We reach the first non-single of the record with another heavy one, in “Venom”. This track really gives so much ‘Hollow Bodies’ vibes, that they knew exactly what they were doing making a song like this again. It’s got a great main riff to it, another great chorus, and a solid breakdown to tie it all together. I appreciate this band having a sound that feels distinct enough to associate with them specifically. It really does bring me back to 2013 hearing a song like this one. It’s truly a signature Blessthefall song, at its finest really.

We continue with what I feel is my favorite song on the record, with “Somebody Else”. It’s definitely one of the more melody driven tracks on the record, with the melodies being off the chart and are really working overtime during the chorus. Matt Flood from Caskets’ feature really fits so well in a song like this, and him and Beau’s voices go really well together. The breakdown feels more akin to a song like this, and I appreciate that about it. I also gotta give a shoutout to the drums by drummer Jared Frøn, who definitely shines on this song in particular. 

We reach the second of the singles from this record, with “Drag Me Under”. We pretty much amp the heavy back up with this one, in a more bouncy and fun type of way. Lochie Keogh from Alpha Wolf feels right at home on this song when it comes to his feature. Him and bassist Jared Warth’s vocals sound great going back and forth during the bridge. The chorus here is probably my least favorite from the record overall, but the heavy moments make it a memorable track otherwise.

The energy is amped up even more, as we follow up with the title track of the record. We were at mosh central before, but now we’ve reached circle pit avenue. I really love how nonstop this song feels, it’s got that chaotic feeling even more so than before. The bridge here kicks so much ass, and Jared sounds great on this one as well. I can absolutely see this being a fan favorite off this whole album. 

We follow up with a more balanced type of track when it comes to heavy and melodies, with “Light the Flame”. It gives me huge vibes of the album previous to this one, with 2018’s ‘Hard Feelings’. That record felt underrated and I’m glad they’re still incorporating a song like this onto the album. The main riff here feels so groovy and bouncy, and Beau shines on a song like this as well since he’s carrying a lot of the vocals here. The chorus feels so anthemic and huge, that they continue to deliver when it comes to melodies. And the heavy parts here really do a great job complimenting the melodic ones. 

We follow up with the fourth and most recent single from the record, with “Fell So Hard, Felt So Right”. It’s another melody driven track, and it feels like a bit of a love letter to the 2000’s emo/post-hardcore era of music. Like this song gives me huge Saosin vibes from the singing to the guitar parts. And let’s not forget Dan Marsala from Story of the Year crushing his feature as well. It feels very inspired to have him on this song, as his vocals feel smooth like butter as they’re being delivered.

We reach the penultimate song of the record with “Y.S.A.B.”, and this one featured a callback I was not expecting. First off, I appreciate this being a fun metalcore type song that feels more in line with I Prevail. It’s just good fun heaviness, with another catchy chorus as god intended. The synth also feels pretty well placed on a song like this. But the callback of “you’re still a bitch” from “you’re just a bitch” over a decade ago off “Youngbloods” from ‘Hollow Bodies’ just feels like poetry honestly. The fan service is felt and I wasn’t even predicting that off a Blessthefall record in 2025.

We reach the end of the record with a fitting song in its title alone, “This Ends With Us”. This one feels more on the progressive side of metalcore than expected, but it’s good nonetheless. The guitar tone feels ear shattering in the best way on this one. And the melodies here feel very inspired by modern metalcore, and the band dipping their toe into it here. This doesn’t feel like much of a closing track for this album, but I do love how grand the chorus feels with it having the orchestral elements. 

To no one’s surprise, ‘GALLOWS’ by Blessthefall feels like a huge return to form for the band. They’ve come back stronger than ever it feels like, sounding like they never left really. And it really does warm my heart to see them putting out this quality of music (even after a 7 year gap in between albums).