8.8
Most of the time when hardcore punk comes to mind, I think of relatively short, loud tracks that hit hard and fast, F’ed Up have completely warped my image of modern, very ambitious hardcore punk. With David Comes to Life, F’ed Up have pushed boundaries that only a select other ambitious punk records form the past have done. An 80 minute rock opera with a complex narrative may be pushing the envelope for the Canadian hardcore punk group, but this ambitious, superlative record exceeds all rock operas in recent memory.
First off: David Comes to Life isn’t for the faint of heart, similarly to Titus Andronicus’s epic The Monitor from last year with its heavily ambitious concept. Lead vocalist Damian “Pink Eyes” Abraham never changes, his nail-biting, brittle scream is difficult to be turned on to, even after multiple listens. Abraham’s vocals are what they are, nothing incredibly unique, but easy to pick out. Abraham goes hard 110% of the time on David with no limitation to his ability to scream, there really isn’t a moment where Abraham isn’t screaming, the only rest we get from his vocals is the occasional female vocal insertion.
David Comes to Life’s story is bizarre and emotionally driven from true dedication from the members of F’ed Up. Honestly, it’s pretty much impossible to translate the lyrics from simply listening to the music, if you want to follow along with the lyrics; the most convenient way is to check out davidcomestolife.com. Following along with the lyrics, it reveals beautiful, vivid imagery that corresponds with a story that is far too complex to be understood simply through a read-through. It needs to be experienced, the way F’ed Up wanted it to be, they way they experienced it through recording and planning out this entire David project that has actually been stated to be in the back of their heads for years now.
Instrumentally, David is purely satisfying that is fulfilled in every climatic build up on every song. Beginning the album like a factory with its lights just warming up with heavy reverb on the guitars just warming up and that is immediately brought into the epic opening hard-hitter “Queen of Hearts” with the beginning lines of “Sun rises above the factory but the rays don’t make it to the street,” bringing in the consistent theme and symbolism of light and darkness in David Comes to Life. Literally chills are brought to my back whenever I reach the climax of ”Queen of Hearts” though all of F’ed Up’s awesome elements being played to effectively which can only be described through one word: epic.
Truly, the story of the album really isn’t necessary to enjoying David Comes to Life, it simply enhances it. Being a rock-opera of sorts, David in some ways runs on its story like The Who’s Tommy or Pink Floyd’s The Wall, but both of those albums can be enjoyed for just the elements of the music being produced rather than the story, the same applies for F’ed Up’s work, except David is harder since it isn’t an “easy” listening album like Pink Floyd or The Who. Asking someone to read the lyrics along while listening to the music is asking a lot, but if you have 80 minutes to spare, do it, it’s rewarding to your listening pleasure.
Any fan of music cannot miss David Comes to Life, its monumental ability to create such a masterful punk-rock opera that is fulfilled through its excellent instrumentation and in-your-face blasts of musical energy that runs the entire album like a lithium battery. Though Abraham’s vocals are tough as nails to listen to, growing room must be allowed for F’ed Up’s hardcore punk appeal.
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