Four Story Fate
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Four Story Fate

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"Metal band Four Story Fate plays Picador"

Ah, elementary school. An innocent period filled with memories of nap times, coloring outside the lines, and eating glue. A place where friendships are broken as quickly as they are forged, lasting only until Jimmy clocks you in dodge ball or Susie shoves you off the monkey bars.

Somehow, the members of Iowa City-based Four Story Fate managed to avoid the pitfalls of recess politics and parlay the friendship of their formative years into the musical bond of a metal band.

Four Story Fate is pairing the release of its album Manuscripts of an Idle Time with a show at 5 p.m. today at the Picador, 330 E. Washington St. Supporting the band will be acts Freaklabel and Lost Nation.

"We've all been friends forever, like second or third grade," said vocalist Adam Hascall. Hascall, along with guitarist Chase Nevins, bassist Adam Weppler, and drummer Ben Johnson, grew up in the southwestern Iowa town of Atlantic.

The four performed together in high school but "went our separate ways" after graduation, Johnson said. The split was short-lived, however. After a year of separation, the band found a house in Iowa City and began writing songs again.

Four Story Fate strikes a solid balance between crushing heaviness and catchy melody, exemplified by the combination of Hascall's throaty screams and smooth singing akin to newer metal bands such as Avenged Sevenfold and Killswitch Engage.

"I think we're unique in the way we [write music]," Hascall said. Nevins said, "We have a broad range of music we like, and that all comes together in our songs. I don't want to be stuck in the same rut or genre."

Manuscripts, the band's first full-length release, features 12 tracks independently produced during three studio sessions spread out over half a year of recording. Described as an "expensive, eye-opening" process by Johnson, the band members footed the bill on the album's production but hope it will pay off in the form of new fans and eventually a tour of the Midwest.
"[Recording the album] was a huge growing process," Hascall said. "The growth from the first session to the last is really noticeable to us."

Now that the album is finished, the band is concentrating on playing shows and creating a following of fans in Iowa City.

"If your music gets online, it will get stolen anyway, so we definitely focus on the live performance," Weppler said.

Of course, that's not the only reason the guys play shows. There's also the camaraderie of more than a decade of friendship bringing them together to perform.

"It doesn't matter if it's three, 30, or 1,000 people in the audience, I just like getting on the stage with these guys," Hascall said.

And it doesn't sound like Four Story Fate plans on breaking up after the members graduate a second time, either. They are committed to giving a career in music a shot, and they hope to make Iowa City the launch pad for their success.

"We want to take this as far as it will go," Hascall said. "I plan on being poor and living in a van for a while." - The Daily Iowan


"Whats that ringing? Its the sound of the amp overloading!"

What's that ringing?! That's the sound of the amp o
This alternative/metal tune had the best of both worlds - a crushing melody and mellisonant verses. A sound that struck reminiscences of bands like Crossfade and Mudvayne, especially with the layered vocals and multiple voices.

The guitar intro came in with this hesitant sort of Spanish slur. As the vocal harmonies chanted on top of that, I was hoping the song would explode into a ripping chorus, and it didn't disappoint. It sounded like there was about 20 guitars crushing out that chorus. The lyrics told of the anguish and pain that the artist was conveying - "Sanity/certainty is all I need. I can't take it anymore." Possibly a line that may be overused in this sort of tune. However, I was really pleased with the arrangement and emotion in this song and it overrides my concern.

The vocalist has a true rock voice. It reminds me of the kind of vocalist that can scream with the best of those in the metal scene, but still sing melodic enough to carry a mellow verse or acoustic track - Someone like Corey Taylor of Slipknot/Stone Sour or Aaron Lewis of Staind. Obviously the feature sound of this song and the production did a fine job of displaying that.

Perhaps my favorite part of this song was the outro. It's almost like they decided to end the song on a bridge, or climax of the arrangement. The vocalist uses his regularly-spoken voice that increases into this monster of a belting scream, showcasing his whole range. Very cool. - Golden Dacve


"Ready For Regular Rock Rotation"

ready for hard rock radio rotation
The good news is the band gives a tight, polished performance all around and the production is stellar. I can hear all the parts clearly, the energy of the performance really comes through, and the arrangement is very thoughtful, slick and professional. The guitar parts have a nice variety of phrasing and picking styles. The lead vocals switch fluidly from a hardcore metal influenced, nearly atonal growl with sincere aggression to a compelling melodic delivery. Drumming is energetic and precise, laying down a good groove without distracting from the melodic content.

The bad news (and it's really not that bad, depending on how you look at it) is that it doesn't break any new ground. It feels like I've heard it before, which is probably more of a strength than a weakness if you're going for a sound that's compatible with hard rock & metal radio rotation. Fans of the genre won't have anything to complain about and many things to like: topical lyrics, solid chops and decent hooks in the vocal melodies and guitar riffage.

Also some extra credit for sampling the Peter Finch monologue from "Network", giving prominent exposure to the lines that really resonate today and saving the (somewhat cliched) "mad as hell" line until the very end. - Jeff Buser


Discography

"Manuscripts Of An Idle Time"

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Bio

Four Story Fate is an old band in new places. Formed in 2001, members Adam Weppler(Bass), Adam Hascall(vocals), Ben Johnson(Drums), and Chase Nevins(Guitar) started making music together with one thing in mind: to have fun. It was only after a year long break following high school graduation that all four members realized just how important the business of music was to them. In the short year that has passed since the reunification, all four musicians have grown leaps and bounds both musically and mentally together. Their songs have deepened in more ways then one, and their fan base is steadily growing with each passing show.

Being friends before band mates has formed a unique chemistry between all members both on stage and off, and it is apparent that these four boys from rural Iowa have something special here. Energetic and motivated, FSF has really been on the move in recent months. The band released their first full-length album in September 2008, titled "Manuscripts of an Idle Time", was Rock 108's Unsigned and Online band of the month in November, and are featured in the newly forming local flavor presented by Hot Topic. Four Story Fate sets itself apart with unique songs and style, and high energy live shows; a combination that is sure to entice people who are searching for an expansion into alternative metal.