Fear Before
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Predecessor | thirtysixflip (members previously played in) |
| Founded | 2002 in Aurora, Colorado, United States |
| Headquarters | Aurora , United States |
| Products | Studio albums, EPs, live albums, DVDs |
Number of employees | 4 (final lineup) |
Fear Before—initially known as Fear Before the March of Flames—was a post-hardcore group originating from Aurora, Colorado. Their band name was inspired by a 2002 headline about the Hayman fire published in the Denver Post. Over their career, they released four studio albums: their debut Odd How People Shake (2003, reissued in 2004), followed by Art Damage (2004), The Always Open Mouth (2006), and Fear Before (2008). In 2010, the band declared an indefinite hiatus.
Odd How People Shake (2002–2003)
Formed in 2002, Fear Before consisted of vocalist David Marion, guitarist and vocalist Adam Fisher, bassist Michael Madruga, and drummer Brandon Proff. The members connected while attending Smoky Hill High School in Aurora. Their musical influences included bands such as Botch, Converge, and The Blood Brothers. Prior to forming Fear Before, Fisher, Madruga, and Proff played together in the pop-punk outfit thirtysixflip; meanwhile, Marion initially worked handling merchandise before stepping into the role of lead singer.
Their inaugural performance took place on August 1, 2002. After releasing a three-track EP that garnered attention during early tours, they secured a contract with Portland’s Rise Records, under which their first album Odd How People Shake debuted in July 2003. Touring alongside The Blood Brothers and Hopesfall helped broaden their audience. A later tour with Bear vs. Shark led to signing with the well-known label Equal Vision Records, which reissued their debut album in January 2004.
This record combined David Marion’s screamed vocals with Adam Fisher’s clean singing within a post-hardcore framework. Several songs drew inspiration from films; for example, "Sarah Goldfarb, Where Are Your Manners?" references the movie Requiem for a Dream.
Songs from this initial album were seldom performed live; notably, the band avoided playing "On the Brightside, She Could Choke;" except during special acoustic appearances following drummer Clayton Holyoak’s family tragedy in 2007. In response to fan requests at a Denver concert in 2008, they revived "Brightside" in its original format for the first time since 2003 and have occasionally included it in live sets since then.
Art Damage (2004–2005)
Between late July and mid-August 2004, Fear Before toured with Evergreen Terrace and I Killed the Prom Queen as part of the Radiotakeover Tour. They also performed select shows with Norma Jean during August and October. In August, they recorded a live EP at The Epicentre in San Diego, California, titled Live at the Epicentre, which was released in September.
Their sophomore album, Art Damage, arrived via Equal Vision Records in September 2004 and marked a stylistic transition toward a more direct and aggressive sound. This shift moved them away from their indie post-hardcore roots toward mathcore. The single "Should Have Stayed in the Shallows," accompanied by a music video shot in the same basement used for filming Fight Club, received substantial airplay on MTV2’s Headbanger's Ball.
In April 2005, the band toured alongside Underoath and The Chariot, later joining the Sounds of the Underground tour across Midwest and Southeastern regions.
On October 18, 2005, Immortal Records released the soundtrack for the TV series Masters of Horror, which featured Fear Before the March of Flames’ previously unreleased track "237," named after the infamous room number from The Shining. This song was used during the credits of the Tobe Hooper-directed episode Dance of the Dead.
The Always Open Mouth (2006–2007)
In June 2006, the group appeared at the 7 Angels 7 Plagues Reunion Show, followed by a performance at Dirt Fest in August.
Their third full-length album, The Always Open Mouth, was released on September 19, 2006, showcasing a distinctly experimental approach. This record featured enhanced vocal interplay between lead singer Marion and guitarist/vocalist Fisher, with a noticeable reduction in screamed vocals. Fischer explained that the album’s title refers to individuals who behave like "an all-knowing super being" or "a loud mouth bigot." Critics described the album as "audaciously experimental and rich in musical intricacy." Addressing fan feedback about its stylistic shift from Art Damage, the band emphasized their desire to explore new creative territory.
The lead single, "Taking Cassandra to the End of the World Party," included a music video directed by David Bell. The song draws inspiration from Cassandra of Greek mythology, a prophetess cursed so that no one would heed her warnings.
Following Proff’s departure to focus on teaching, drummer Clayton "Goose" Holyoak, guitarist Zach "Binks" Hutchings, and guitarist/keyboardist Billy Johnson joined the lineup.
From October through December 2006, Fear Before toured alongside Norma Jean and Between the Buried and Me during the Radio Rebellion Tour. In March 2007, they took part in segments of the Russian Circles Plan Midwest Tour and performed at Appalachian Annihilation Festival. That same month, Billy Johnson exited the band due to personal reasons.
During July and August 2007, Fear Before embarked on their inaugural headlining tour supported by 65daysofstatic, This Will Destroy You, and Hot Cross. They also released a limited-run EP titled A Little Less Teeth, which included live recordings, outtakes, and demo tracks.
The band intended to release a documentary DVD called Absolute Past, Absolute Future, chronicling their touring experiences before and during the creation of The Always Open Mouth, aiming for a spring 2007 launch. Unfortunately, the project was abandoned after essential footage was lost.
Fear Before (2008–2009)
In January 2008, Alternative Press spotlighted the band’s eagerly awaited album, Fear Before, which was recorded at Johnny Cab Studios in Seattle with producer Casey Bates. Released on October 28, 2008, this self-titled record introduced significant changes: lead vocalist Dave Marion assumed primary responsibility for lyric writing and shifted from predominantly screamed vocals to mainly singing. Drummer Clayton 'Goose' Holyoak made his debut on this album, while guitarist Zachary 'Binks' Hutchings contributed substantially to songwriting for the first and only time. Guest vocal appearances included Thomas Erak (The Fall of Troy), Zachary Carothers (Portugal. The Man), Robert Smith (Heavy Heavy Low Low), Quentin Smith (Vaux), and Dreu Damian (I Am The Ocean). The track "Review Our Lives" is a reimagined version of "Epic Song" from an earlier EP.
In September 2008, the band headlined a tour featuring Damiera and I Am the Ocean. On September 9, they officially shortened their name from "The March of Flames" to simply "Fear Before," opting not to retain the full name combined with their album title.
At the start of 2009, Zach Hutchings left due to personal and creative disagreements; thereafter, Fear Before continued as a four-member ensemble. They supported Alesana on a spring package tour and completed their first Australian tour during summer. Following a friend’s hospitalization in Australia, Fear Before made their entire discography available on Bandcamp to raise funds; labelmates Circa Survive also contributed with a limited edition release.
After returning from Australia, Fear Before completed two final headline tours: a U.S. run with Oceana and Memphis May Fire followed by Canada’s "The Hunt for Shred October" tour alongside Baptized in Blood, Trophy Scars, and Black Moor. The band announced no touring plans for 2010 to concentrate on their fifth studio album. Their last performance before hiatus took place on December 4, 2009, in Greeley, Colorado.
Potential fifth album and indefinite hiatus (2010–present)
In January 2011, Adam debuted his first solo performance in Denver, introducing new tracks under the moniker All Human, which diverged from Fear Before's traditional sound. After playing shows locally in Denver and Salt Lake City, he uploaded All Human demo recordings to the internet. Plans were made to release a 14-song album titled Catholic Guilt and the Queerest of Thoughts later that year, featuring contributions from original Fear Before drummer Brandon Proff on select songs. Nearly a year and a half later, Adam posted on the band's Facebook page to announce an indefinite hiatus, though he soon clarified that the band was not officially disbanding.
By October 2014, hints of fresh material appeared on Facebook with the cryptic message "New songs... No hoax," eventually unveiling work named "Absolute Future Absolute Past."
Musical style
Johnny Loftus of AllMusic describes the band’s music as an amalgamation of screamo, metal, and tight post-hardcore influences.
Members
- Final line-up
- David Michael Marion – unclean vocals, rhythm guitar, programming, production, keyboards (2002–2011)
- Adam "Rupert" Fisher – lead guitar, keyboards, programming, percussion, production, strings, clean vocals (2002–2011)
- Michael Madruga – bass guitar, backing vocals (2002–2011)
- Clayton "Goose" Holyoak – drums, percussion (2006–2011)
- Former members
- Mat Clouse – rhythm guitar (2002–2003)
- Brandon Proff – drums, programming (2002–2006)
- Zachary "Binks" Hutchings – rhythm guitar (2006–2009)
- Billy Johnson – rhythm guitar, keyboards, programming (2006–2007)
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Label | Chart positions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 |
US Heatseekers |
US Independent | |||||||
| 2003 | Odd How People Shake | Rise | — | — | — | ||||
| 2004 | Art Damage | Equal Vision | — | — | — | ||||
| 2006 | The Always Open Mouth | 153 | 2 | 13 | |||||
| 2008 | Fear Before | — | 8 | 46 | |||||
| "—" indicates a release that did not chart. | |||||||||
EP
- Fear Before the March of Flames (2002) – self-released
- A Little Less Teeth (2007) – Equal Vision Records
Live
- Live at the Epicentre (2004) – Equal Vision Records
DVD
- Absolute Future, Absolute Past DVD – Equal Vision Records
- The footage for this DVD was lost; this story was recounted in the AP Podcast.
Songs on compilations
- Rise 2003 Sampler (Rise Records) – "A Shoreline Perspective"
- Rise 2004 Sampler (Rise Records) – "Given To Dreams of What Shall Never"
- Take Action! Vol. 4 (Sub City Records) – "Consequences David, You'll Meet Your Fate In The Styx"
- Equal Vision Winter 2004 Sampler (Equal Vision Records) – "The State of Texas vs. Fear Before"
- Masters of Horror Soundtrack (Immortal Records) – "237"
- Equal Vision Warped Tour Sampler (Equal Vision Records) – "Lycanthropy"
- The Best of Taste of Chaos (Warcon Enterprises) – "Should Have Stayed in the Shallows"
- 2004 Vans Warped Tour Compilation (MCA Records) – "On the Bright Side, She Could Choke"
- Take Action! Vol. 6 (Sub City Records) – "Taking Cassandra to the End of the World Party"
Videography
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "The 20th Century Was Entirely Mine" | Odd How People Shake |
| 2004 | "Should Have Stayed in the Shallows" | Art Damage |
| 2006 | "Taking Cassandra to the End of the World Party" | The Always Open Mouth |
| 2007 | "The Waiting Makes Me Curious" | |
| "My (Fucking) Deer Hunter" | ||
| 2008 | "Fear Before Doesn't Listen to People Who Don't Like Them" | Fear Before |
External links
- Musical groups from Denver
- Musical groups established in 2002
- Musical groups disbanded in 2010
- Culture of Aurora, Colorado
- Rise Records artists
- Equal Vision Records artists
- American screamo musical groups
- American post-hardcore musical groups
- American mathcore musical groups
- American emo musical groups
- 2002 establishments in Colorado
- Articles containing graphical timelines
- Metalcore musical groups from Colorado
- Musical groups disestablished in 2010