Fact - Fact

When music escapes the Far East, it’s generally remarkable in some way: Boris invigorated the sludge of stoner metal with Pink and bands like Pizzicato Five laid a new and fun pop foundation to be built upon for years to come. Fact, however, unlike their countrymen, have chosen to mine influence from the currently high-flying Western genre of emocore, and achieve the status of an acceptable, though unremarkable, addition to their cadre. The band mixes up spitfire drumming with chugging hardcore-lite breakdowns, and falsetto vocals with deep growling. This works on certain tracks, such as Reborn, where their evocation of forefathers Thursday blends a technical prowess with some fancy fingerwork on the frets. But this proficiency and the occasional moving heavy riff notwithstanding, Fact does little to distinguish itself from the Warped Tour crowd, though could be recommended for those who can’t get enough of the musical bipolarity of emoting sadness and anger.