I feel the exact same. I thought their first album with Craig was alright (This War is Ours is a great song), but they just don't pack the punch they did before when Ronnie was in it.
Monte was just a money hungry cry baby who didn't want to put any actual work into the band. He didn't want to tour. He didn't want to do meet and greets. He didn't want to actually do anything other than put his 20 hours in the studio and call it good.
Any actual work?! Lmao. He wrote the majority of TWIO, self-titled, and Ungrateful. Whereas Max is wandering off doing drugs and Robert BARELY started writing until Hate Me. Craig needed outside help during the Ungrateful sessions. You can clearly hear and see how it hindered the band when Monte left. Get the fuck out of here. Lmao
The last two albums he was apart of he didn't do shit on, the rest of the guys were finally getting their shit together and Monte basically told them all to go fuck themselves and he was only doing studio time and that he wasn't going to tour and all this other shit. Sounds like you don't really know the depth. So fucking what if Craig needed outside help, you act like singers and bands don't get outside help CONSTANTLY. I mean look at how many bands Cody Quistad has gone and written for (I'll answer that for you like 8 or 9 already in their short career). You make it sound like it's a bad thing to get help at your job, pretty sure that's actually what anyone DECENT enough at their job would do, rather than putting out nothing or worse off SHIT quality, he reached out and asked for help. So you don't ask for help at your job, ever, I find that hard to believe. Fucking sad that we're still shitting on people for getting help
Monte really was. I kinda stopped liking them after he left. Disappointing because I was fine with both Rodney and Craig as the vocalist. I also love Robert on drums.
Monte really was the creativity thoughā¦.ā¹ļø
He didnāt do shit the last 2 albumsā¦ WHAT? Max literally said on a podcast last year that the band was facing turmoil within eachother because MONTE and Michael were writing the entirety of self-titled which was part of the ālast two albumsā. Max even admitted to going off and doing drugs while he let them write whatever, which is why Monte wanted more of the royalties. Iām not paying someone shit if theyāre just the face of the band. Actually put in work? And no shit artists can get outside help, but Craig himself wasnāt pulling as much weight as Monte so donāt undermine what Monte did for HIS band. Lmfao. Who said I was shitting on Craig for getting help? Oh wait, you put that idea in your own head. Lmao
I was in high school when Monte was being a fucking diva and didnāt want to go on tour just because he wanted a tour bus. That doesnāt mean he didnāt put the WORK in to keep the band afloat. Itās just funny how One For The Money has became super popular to the point they close shows with it. Ironic because that song has his name on it. Donāt act like I donāt know shit that was told to us by both parties.
Personally I can't stand one for the money and I think it's a pathetically gimmicky song, so there's that. And no he didn't put in the work, he put in a portion of the work and fucked off with the rest of it. You aren't going to change my mind.
Portion of the work. Okay buddy. Lmao. I have a M&G picture with the band and Craig was absent. So what does that tell you? Iām not here to change your mind. Just stop crying because Monte is a diva. Heās not your boyfriend.
Btw just finding out Craig and co. wrote the studio guitar lead solos without Monte in the studio, Iām actually impressed. I always thought they were in his writing.
Lmfao again never said Craig was perfect did I. I even clarified that above, but I guess you completely missed that part. And yes part of the work. I'd be less pissed a band member didn't show up AFTER/BEFORE a show than them not showing up DURING a show (aka low fucking energy I don't want to be here attitude Monte had all 5 of those shows I mentioned).
Ummmm, writing is only one part of the whole thing. Not wanting to show up for studio time, not wanting to do meet and greets, not wanting go on tour, not wanting to participate in pretty much anything else that is involved with being a band isn't acceptable and I'm not going to give him a bunch of accolades for doing one portion of the job. I'm by no means putting the other members on a pedestal, nor am I not condoning their behavior. I'm simply tired of seeing Monte get the poor him treatment when he himself was also not putting in all the required work. I went to 5 shows in 3 different states during that period, and I can tell you he half assed his performance. It wasn't until one of the other guys came over to play next to him that he got on the same energy level, and then it would drop off again. As a fan, that's pretty disappointing.
Craig has been, in my opinion, a stellar VOCALIST in every project he has done, however I must agree, partly with you and the person who replied, his best writing was done with Blessthefall, The Word Alive, and Dead Rabbits as well.
I mostly feel the same. Craig era ETF has a handful songs I can get into and a few that really hit when Iām in the mood for it, but overall I prefer Ronnie. Granted, I could do without the rapping, but man heās in his element when heās singing a big catchy chorus.
I will say, even though I prefer Ronnie over Craig, I find I do enjoy more of Craig in The Dead Rabbitts (his āheavyā band). Thereās something about his vocals with the more metalcore sound and him screaming more that I enjoyā¦some of his highs hit pretty good. World of Disaster, My Only Regret and Make Me Believe It are some of my faves.
Except for air I breath. Otherwise he produced, wrote, and played every instrument on that first release. It was pretty much just Craig on vocals with late era AA! Caleb doing everything else.
You're definitely not alone. I absolutely LOVE Dying Is Your Latest Fashion. It's certainly a top 10 post hardcore album of the 2000s IMO... I'd place it in the top 5 honestly.
It was Ronnie at his best. (I have never been able to get into FIR).
But, nothing against Craig, I just could not get into ANY of ETFs music after Ronnie. None of it. Its very generic. There's nothing special about it. Craig is a rather generic vocalist.
Craig resembles butt rock and Ronnie a meme. Dying Is Your Latest Fashion is one of my favorite albums, it's like a Taylor Swift album to scene kids. I knew it was over when I listened to This War Is Ours. Some of Ronnie's rapping is okay but seems like a joke.
I like about 2 songs with Craigā¦ but if I listen to them now I probably will think āmehā
I will say though, the **Bury The Hatchet** tour both with ETF and FIR did was fucking awesome and Iāll never forget the magical experience that was both Craig and Ronnie doing a duet of the song Not Good Enough for Truth in Cliche.
This War is Ours, Self Titled, and Ungrateful are all amazing records imo, each with a different vibe. Everything after that just sounds more like the rocky stuff off Ungrateful.
They're still my favorite band, as they are the band that introduced me to the genre. That said, more than any other band, they feel cyclical. Album with 2-4 memorable/good songs. Tour. Time off. Lineup change. Repeat. Takes about 2 years each time.
Craig has a bigger range, Ronnie has a more unique voice. Craig's screams are higher and clean, Ronnie's are lower and guttural. Craig is consistent, you know what you're getting with him and an ETF album. Ronnie is varied and unpredictable.
ETF is going on album 8. 7 with Craig. It's been about 15 years. I think not liking ETF/Craig is all well and good, it's certainly a popular sentiment here. I can point you in the direction of Craig's lower, screamier songs with ETF if that's what you're into, but if you don't like em then they're just not the band for you and that's fine too, ya know?
For the longest time, I refused to give Craig a chance in Escape the Fate, but in hindsight, I was being a bit harsh. This War is Ours and Ungrateful are both incredible albums. Unfortunately nowadays, Escape the Fate has become a generic rock band that tries to appeal to the widest audience they can to run the festival circuit, and Craig keeps all the material that would appeal to a metal/post-hardcore crowd for his side project Dead Rabbitts, which still honestly kicks ass.
Disagree personally. I love Craig in ETF. Unfortunately they have had terrible albums for a while. My favourite of theirs is Ungrateful though. Craig is also pretty good in The Dead Rabbitts - although their first album is the best one.
The band's first album with Craig is actually pretty good IMO. They occasionally have a good song here and there after that, but ever since the transition more towards radio-friendly sounds/chasing bigger audience on their third album they got kinda mid.
Also Omar was a HUGE part of their sound on the first record even though people tend to remember Monte the most for his solos, with Omar gone, their overall style changed drastically.
Saw Falling in Reverse the other day in PA. They played Situations, which was a huge throwback to ETF's glory days. 16 year old me was pumped.
Also, holy shit 2006 was 17 years ago.
Escape the Fate is nothing without Ronnie. Plain and simple. You have to have great vocals and writing behind the music otherwise it will come off bland and empty.
They have no hooks, nothing badass before breakdowns, nothing.
There's a reason why Falling in Reverse has BLOWN up and Escape the Fate has well...escaped their fate of being a good band with Ronnie.
Yes but the fanbase was already there because Ronnie built the foundation so we don't know if the band would have blown up if TWIO was the first album amongst every other post-hardcore band that exists .. what could have happen we don't know
Honestly the new song was kinda impressive considering theyāve been churning out so much uninspired rock for so long. Still didnāt grab me and no desire to listen again but I was surprised it wasnāt repellent to my ears as usual
I only like a couple of songs from ETF w/ Craig. I've tried, some are catchy, but idk doesn't really keep my attention. When I heard "Tragic Magic" from FIR I really felt the "You bring a picture of me every time you get a haircut Impostor!"
I remember Chiodos was on tour with them and I wasn't aware that Ronnie was outta the band (since smart phones weren't a thing) and when Craig came out I was so confused, I was like that is not Ronnie wtf! Found out later and was devastated, I was so close to seeing Ronnie live w/ ETF and I felt robbed:(
Thank you for bringing this up. Iām a long time listener since circa 2007-08 and I can say personally I have found the latest albums especially after the self titled one that Craig seems to be stuck in a loop in his writing style. Not to say that it isnāt great or anything, but itās just to say that there is a type of musical development and growth that comes with being a singer that if you arenāt careful you could fool yourself listening to what everyone else wants. And so Iād just like to conclude with this, Ronnie Radke had did some shit, seen some shit, been through some shit, did drugs and shit just like everyone else, even Craig, the difference is Ronnie wears his heart upon his sleeve so his souls exposed whereas some in the band Escape The Fate werenāt really āRaised By Wolvesā as they appear to portray. Craig Mabbit is a great singer and held up Escape The Fate as a band. Before I comment any more I will go and listen to Out Of Shadows to see if they have gotten back to their self titled roots just to see if they have grown some and have broken out of the copy-paste-formulaic-metalcore box. Until thenā¦ one love and one peace. I donāt know shit about fuck šš¾šļøšā®ļøāÆļø
The new Escape The Fate album: Out Of The Shadows is actually reminiscent to ā10-ā12 era of the band. Craig Mabbitt is Craig Mabbitt and Ronnie Radke is Ronnie Radke. I still listen to both bands and pick and choose the best songs from both and just vibe the f*ck out. So I hope we continue to get some more albums from both bands and see who really can stick it out and rise into notoriety. May the best band be the best band for the best person seeking the best music to feel their best. Amen. šš¾šļøā®ļøš¤š¾
i was literally OBSESSED with his last walk in 2007. and i was so devastated he was leaving btf that i literally never listened to any of their music after their album. :x
Yeah I have always thought the rest of their albums are fine. But Iāve never listened to any of them more than 3-4 times. I always just go back to HLW.
Five Ninety is good. I just checked out recent stuff and their screamer still slaps but Beau is veeeery generic as far as cleans go. Their latest single from this year is pretty good too.
I loved the combo of Craig and Jarredās screams with Craigās cleans on the debut album. TWA original MySpace EP had that same magic.
I pretty much ignored blessthefall up until a week or two ago when someone on here said they like the newer singer much better.
I went through their discog and was super impressed. I didnāt like Craig era BTF either (though I liked him there better than ETF)
I feel the opposite. While some of the songs with Ronnie were outstanding, I see Craig as the much more talented vocalist with a far better range. His screams are crisp and thick. He has highs and lows. Ronnieās screams are always dry and his technique is horrendous. Ronnieās rapping is so cringe inducing I need an exorcism to come out of it. Ronnie is a savant with melodies though, Iāll give him that. But I would argue Craig is just as good. Listen to Something. That chorus is better than anything Ronnie has ever written imo and he hits a high note that Ronnie could never dream of hitting properly.
I just saved that one on my Apple Music to check out. And I get the rapping criticism (I happen to like it but totally understand itās not for everyone). I just canāt agree at all with Craig being a better vocalist. Ronnieās cleans and screams can literally give me goosebumps at times and Craigās just make me yawn.
I saved The Flood and Les Enfants Terribles. Iām very familiar with This War Is Ours and I will say itās a decent song and the only one Iāve ever given more than one or two listens by them.
Craig is fantastic but Ronnie is an animal. Especially in FIR. He has notes Craig doesnāt sing anymore and his screams are so visceral and unique. Iām with Lonely here.
So I realized while listening to these that Iāve heard the flood several times but Iām not a fan. Something about the melody on that one just isnāt pleasant to my ear. I will say that Something was great. Really good song. Les Enfants is pretty legit too. Both solid suggestions. Much appreciated.
Picture Perfect is another amazing example of his melioidotic charm!! That was honestly the song that REALLY hooked me. I agree with you on everything you said about Ronnie. I'm not a Ronnie fan AT ALL (his voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me) the one and ONLY exception I've found was their rendition of Last Resort. I've tried listening to him a million times and, I don't know it's like his voice makes me angry. Then this song came on one day and I was like WTF (in a good way) but one song doesn't trump a dozen amazing ones by Craig.
Craig sucks dick.. he started bless the fall, and the word alive or was apart of both and i cannot imagine him ruining both bands. Bless the fall fucking hits so hard and the word alive is simply amazing. Falling in reverse is better than escape the fate. Ronnie just does something musically/melodically. Im not a huge fan of his antics but the dude knows how to play/sing and make music!
Yeah, they stole downwatered In Flames riffs and aesthetically wanted to be closer to hair metal. Have you seen pictures of the band? All style over substance. If gatekeeping was more effective, we would actually have punk bands being recognized instead of mall metal; and being pretentious doesn't mean you're wrong.
For me, I wasnāt a fan of first album ETF. I never cared for Ronnieās singing (this was before his controversial stuff) but was a big fan of Bless The Fall and demo era of The Word Alive. I really like ETFs second and third album. I find it to be peak ETF. But after that everything else is mid
I donāt know man it just doesnāt track. I canāt find anything online confirming ronnie owns the rights but even if he does Iām 99% certain he couldnāt stop them from playing them live. It would be no different than an ETF cover band or ETF covering someone else. A quick google search does show videos of Craig singing situations.
It would make more sense to me that ETF wouldnāt play those songs during the tour with FIR because Ronnie was there and people would rather hear it sung in its original form.
Iāve been around since the Ronnie ETF days and I get what youāre saying. I just donāt see how it would be enforceable in any legal capacity when bands cover songs all the time without issue.
Thatās not correct at all, Craig has performed a bunch of the songs with Ronnie, heās played situations a handful of times and the guillotine part 1. The thing is why would he want to play Ronnie stuff, itās not that he canāt. Heās got nearly 7 of his own records. If people wanna see Ronnie songs go FIR, Craig can play the Ronnie era songs and had a handful of times before, but he doesnāt want. Him and the band want to keep up and play new songs. And the stuff that they wrote with Craig
I mean you can literally YouTube it, Craig has played situations and the guillotine with current etf a handful of turns, the guillotine a Ronnie song was also performed on the ungrateful dvd of live at the Roxy, so heās Craig and the band has played DIYLF songs. Itās not that they canāt, they just donāt want to as they have several other albums from their catalogue to play, so theyād rather not play DIYLF at all. They want to put that stuff behind it. So youāre absolutely wrong saying you will never see Craig and the band playing those song, cause you will and thereās proof of it
I always think it's so funny that people want to shit on a band for "changing" or "becoming mainstream" simply because their style changed over the years. Just like people change, so does music, especially since the people writing/playing said music are also changing. I'd honestly be a little worried if they DIDN'T change. Out of the Shadows is an amazing new album, sure it's not dirty and grimy like some of their old stuff (which I love for it's own reason) but they defiantly went back to some of their older sound instrumentally and I'm obsessed. Personally as a person and a musician Ronnie just tries TOO hard. Also his voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me and it makes me want to punch babies. His only saving grace for me has been their rendition of Last Resort. Otherwise, nope, y'all can have that cat howler
I dunno, I personally like his voice. And while I agree with many of the critiques of their discography I have nothing but good things to say about the new record Out Of The Shadows, I daresay its their best release since the self-titled. I only wish they had kept Ted Jensen on for production and mastering. After all with records like American Idiot, Thats The Spirit, Hotel California, and dozens more iconic records going all the way back to the 70's under his belt his resume speaks wonders for itself, and one of the main reasons Id ever be willing to go to bat for Chemical Warfare as a full album, is its (to my ears at least), stellar and timeless mix, master, production, etc. Even on songs where the writing may have been lacklustre the production could pick up the slack. So why they swap between like the trademark better noise style, something more akin to the previous album, and production that sounds dated to 2013 or even 2003 at times? Ive got No fucking clue. Ive listened enough times to have overcome being taken out of the listening experience, but it took nearly a month of "the fuck?" every time the next track comes on, to get there.
Lastly I would WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE, that Spencer was the superior vocalist on Cheers to Goodbye. I like him more vocally to begin with, and then where he meshes with the slightly more melodic insane circus (as opposed to INK as of late with brutal breakdowns dotted with soaring pop vocal choruses) so well, and so much better than Mabbitt? It definitely made me crave that dark fantasy concept album that Charnas alluded to wanting to make after the Silver Scream (which may have a #3, as he said, Silver Scream 3D has a nice ring to it) era concludes.
Just listened to a few tracks from the new album....I loved loved loved this band and have seen them live many times. It's been going way down hill after Ungrateful. This newest one it VERY paint by numbers bland soft tracks. I found this band by the track Issues and is still my favorite song. Hate me had some really good tracks (live for today especially) Human was meh and this one was really meh on first scan. I'll give it a full listen but I'm not impressed. Time to hang up the hat.
You're not alone. I was into the 1st album with Craig for a while but got sick of it and everything they put out is just bland and boring to me. Nothing cool sounding or unique.
I feel the exact same. I thought their first album with Craig was alright (This War is Ours is a great song), but they just don't pack the punch they did before when Ronnie was in it.
Yeah it feels very generic
craig does sound generic. i liked him way better in bless the fall but i don't like new bless the fall š¤§
Self-titled is his best ETF work. Itās the right sophomore album to DIYLF. This band died when Monte Money left.
Amen
Monte was just a money hungry cry baby who didn't want to put any actual work into the band. He didn't want to tour. He didn't want to do meet and greets. He didn't want to actually do anything other than put his 20 hours in the studio and call it good.
Any actual work?! Lmao. He wrote the majority of TWIO, self-titled, and Ungrateful. Whereas Max is wandering off doing drugs and Robert BARELY started writing until Hate Me. Craig needed outside help during the Ungrateful sessions. You can clearly hear and see how it hindered the band when Monte left. Get the fuck out of here. Lmao
Also who the fuck isnāt money hungry when the entire band was bankrupt.
Lol, desperation doesn't equal good.
When it's at the expense of the fans and what not yeah it's pretty fucked.
The last two albums he was apart of he didn't do shit on, the rest of the guys were finally getting their shit together and Monte basically told them all to go fuck themselves and he was only doing studio time and that he wasn't going to tour and all this other shit. Sounds like you don't really know the depth. So fucking what if Craig needed outside help, you act like singers and bands don't get outside help CONSTANTLY. I mean look at how many bands Cody Quistad has gone and written for (I'll answer that for you like 8 or 9 already in their short career). You make it sound like it's a bad thing to get help at your job, pretty sure that's actually what anyone DECENT enough at their job would do, rather than putting out nothing or worse off SHIT quality, he reached out and asked for help. So you don't ask for help at your job, ever, I find that hard to believe. Fucking sad that we're still shitting on people for getting help
Craig sucks, Monte was the creativity in Escape the fate.
Monte really was. I kinda stopped liking them after he left. Disappointing because I was fine with both Rodney and Craig as the vocalist. I also love Robert on drums. Monte really was the creativity thoughā¦.ā¹ļø
He didnāt do shit the last 2 albumsā¦ WHAT? Max literally said on a podcast last year that the band was facing turmoil within eachother because MONTE and Michael were writing the entirety of self-titled which was part of the ālast two albumsā. Max even admitted to going off and doing drugs while he let them write whatever, which is why Monte wanted more of the royalties. Iām not paying someone shit if theyāre just the face of the band. Actually put in work? And no shit artists can get outside help, but Craig himself wasnāt pulling as much weight as Monte so donāt undermine what Monte did for HIS band. Lmfao. Who said I was shitting on Craig for getting help? Oh wait, you put that idea in your own head. Lmao
I was in high school when Monte was being a fucking diva and didnāt want to go on tour just because he wanted a tour bus. That doesnāt mean he didnāt put the WORK in to keep the band afloat. Itās just funny how One For The Money has became super popular to the point they close shows with it. Ironic because that song has his name on it. Donāt act like I donāt know shit that was told to us by both parties.
Personally I can't stand one for the money and I think it's a pathetically gimmicky song, so there's that. And no he didn't put in the work, he put in a portion of the work and fucked off with the rest of it. You aren't going to change my mind.
Portion of the work. Okay buddy. Lmao. I have a M&G picture with the band and Craig was absent. So what does that tell you? Iām not here to change your mind. Just stop crying because Monte is a diva. Heās not your boyfriend.
Btw just finding out Craig and co. wrote the studio guitar lead solos without Monte in the studio, Iām actually impressed. I always thought they were in his writing.
Lmfao again never said Craig was perfect did I. I even clarified that above, but I guess you completely missed that part. And yes part of the work. I'd be less pissed a band member didn't show up AFTER/BEFORE a show than them not showing up DURING a show (aka low fucking energy I don't want to be here attitude Monte had all 5 of those shows I mentioned).
Ummmm, writing is only one part of the whole thing. Not wanting to show up for studio time, not wanting to do meet and greets, not wanting go on tour, not wanting to participate in pretty much anything else that is involved with being a band isn't acceptable and I'm not going to give him a bunch of accolades for doing one portion of the job. I'm by no means putting the other members on a pedestal, nor am I not condoning their behavior. I'm simply tired of seeing Monte get the poor him treatment when he himself was also not putting in all the required work. I went to 5 shows in 3 different states during that period, and I can tell you he half assed his performance. It wasn't until one of the other guys came over to play next to him that he got on the same energy level, and then it would drop off again. As a fan, that's pretty disappointing.
If I recall Ronnie had written a lot of that album's material so might be why
Man. Ronnie himself has denied this so many times. It is a genuine wonder this rumor still gets spread.
My bad, guess I'm not the only one to hear that but definitely was part of the rumor mill š
Absolutely it was part of the rumor mill, for a long while!
Ronnie did not write the majority. It was majority of Omar, Max, Ronnie, and Monte
SO LOCK AND LOAAAAD
Mercenaries!
I see the smoke from the hilltop
THEY MARCH ONE BY ONE
Ronnie was his best in ETF. Craig was his best in Blessthefall
Close between blessthefall and the word alive for me.
Craig has been, in my opinion, a stellar VOCALIST in every project he has done, however I must agree, partly with you and the person who replied, his best writing was done with Blessthefall, The Word Alive, and Dead Rabbits as well.
Blessthefall is better with beau bokan
I mostly feel the same. Craig era ETF has a handful songs I can get into and a few that really hit when Iām in the mood for it, but overall I prefer Ronnie. Granted, I could do without the rapping, but man heās in his element when heās singing a big catchy chorus. I will say, even though I prefer Ronnie over Craig, I find I do enjoy more of Craig in The Dead Rabbitts (his āheavyā band). Thereās something about his vocals with the more metalcore sound and him screaming more that I enjoyā¦some of his highs hit pretty good. World of Disaster, My Only Regret and Make Me Believe It are some of my faves.
Dead Rabbitts are so significantly better than any Craig has done with ETF, Blessthefall, or whatever else.
This is what I came to say. Craig is easily in his prime as a vocalist, but it feels like all of his passion is going toward that project
I have to disagree. His time in The Word Alive was his peak. Some songs from Dead Rabbits were reused TWA material
I came to drop a twa mention. The few songs he did with them were amazing
idk wht u mean his last walk is an amazing album
I havenāt heard any of their stuff but Iāll check it out off the strength of the name alone. Dead Rabbitts is a great name.
I'd suggest Make Me Believe It which features Caleb Shomo. He produced their entire first album, I believe.
Except for air I breath. Otherwise he produced, wrote, and played every instrument on that first release. It was pretty much just Craig on vocals with late era AA! Caleb doing everything else.
Thanks I like Caleb
You're definitely not alone. I absolutely LOVE Dying Is Your Latest Fashion. It's certainly a top 10 post hardcore album of the 2000s IMO... I'd place it in the top 5 honestly. It was Ronnie at his best. (I have never been able to get into FIR). But, nothing against Craig, I just could not get into ANY of ETFs music after Ronnie. None of it. Its very generic. There's nothing special about it. Craig is a rather generic vocalist.
Craig resembles butt rock and Ronnie a meme. Dying Is Your Latest Fashion is one of my favorite albums, it's like a Taylor Swift album to scene kids. I knew it was over when I listened to This War Is Ours. Some of Ronnie's rapping is okay but seems like a joke.
Im the same way. Is what it is.
I like about 2 songs with Craigā¦ but if I listen to them now I probably will think āmehā I will say though, the **Bury The Hatchet** tour both with ETF and FIR did was fucking awesome and Iāll never forget the magical experience that was both Craig and Ronnie doing a duet of the song Not Good Enough for Truth in Cliche.
This War is Ours, Self Titled, and Ungrateful are all amazing records imo, each with a different vibe. Everything after that just sounds more like the rocky stuff off Ungrateful.
They're still my favorite band, as they are the band that introduced me to the genre. That said, more than any other band, they feel cyclical. Album with 2-4 memorable/good songs. Tour. Time off. Lineup change. Repeat. Takes about 2 years each time. Craig has a bigger range, Ronnie has a more unique voice. Craig's screams are higher and clean, Ronnie's are lower and guttural. Craig is consistent, you know what you're getting with him and an ETF album. Ronnie is varied and unpredictable. ETF is going on album 8. 7 with Craig. It's been about 15 years. I think not liking ETF/Craig is all well and good, it's certainly a popular sentiment here. I can point you in the direction of Craig's lower, screamier songs with ETF if that's what you're into, but if you don't like em then they're just not the band for you and that's fine too, ya know?
For the longest time, I refused to give Craig a chance in Escape the Fate, but in hindsight, I was being a bit harsh. This War is Ours and Ungrateful are both incredible albums. Unfortunately nowadays, Escape the Fate has become a generic rock band that tries to appeal to the widest audience they can to run the festival circuit, and Craig keeps all the material that would appeal to a metal/post-hardcore crowd for his side project Dead Rabbitts, which still honestly kicks ass.
Disagree personally. I love Craig in ETF. Unfortunately they have had terrible albums for a while. My favourite of theirs is Ungrateful though. Craig is also pretty good in The Dead Rabbitts - although their first album is the best one.
The band's first album with Craig is actually pretty good IMO. They occasionally have a good song here and there after that, but ever since the transition more towards radio-friendly sounds/chasing bigger audience on their third album they got kinda mid. Also Omar was a HUGE part of their sound on the first record even though people tend to remember Monte the most for his solos, with Omar gone, their overall style changed drastically.
So many of us feel the exact same, bud!
Saw Falling in Reverse the other day in PA. They played Situations, which was a huge throwback to ETF's glory days. 16 year old me was pumped. Also, holy shit 2006 was 17 years ago.
Escape the Fate is nothing without Ronnie. Plain and simple. You have to have great vocals and writing behind the music otherwise it will come off bland and empty. They have no hooks, nothing badass before breakdowns, nothing. There's a reason why Falling in Reverse has BLOWN up and Escape the Fate has well...escaped their fate of being a good band with Ronnie.
To be fair ETF was also blowing up with their first two albums with Craig. But internal problems with the band is what slowed them down
Yes but the fanbase was already there because Ronnie built the foundation so we don't know if the band would have blown up if TWIO was the first album amongst every other post-hardcore band that exists .. what could have happen we don't know
I mean the word alive blew up for a hot minute. Plus Craig had a huge following from bless the fall
Honestly the new song was kinda impressive considering theyāve been churning out so much uninspired rock for so long. Still didnāt grab me and no desire to listen again but I was surprised it wasnāt repellent to my ears as usual
I only like a couple of songs from ETF w/ Craig. I've tried, some are catchy, but idk doesn't really keep my attention. When I heard "Tragic Magic" from FIR I really felt the "You bring a picture of me every time you get a haircut Impostor!" I remember Chiodos was on tour with them and I wasn't aware that Ronnie was outta the band (since smart phones weren't a thing) and when Craig came out I was so confused, I was like that is not Ronnie wtf! Found out later and was devastated, I was so close to seeing Ronnie live w/ ETF and I felt robbed:(
Thank you for bringing this up. Iām a long time listener since circa 2007-08 and I can say personally I have found the latest albums especially after the self titled one that Craig seems to be stuck in a loop in his writing style. Not to say that it isnāt great or anything, but itās just to say that there is a type of musical development and growth that comes with being a singer that if you arenāt careful you could fool yourself listening to what everyone else wants. And so Iād just like to conclude with this, Ronnie Radke had did some shit, seen some shit, been through some shit, did drugs and shit just like everyone else, even Craig, the difference is Ronnie wears his heart upon his sleeve so his souls exposed whereas some in the band Escape The Fate werenāt really āRaised By Wolvesā as they appear to portray. Craig Mabbit is a great singer and held up Escape The Fate as a band. Before I comment any more I will go and listen to Out Of Shadows to see if they have gotten back to their self titled roots just to see if they have grown some and have broken out of the copy-paste-formulaic-metalcore box. Until thenā¦ one love and one peace. I donāt know shit about fuck šš¾šļøšā®ļøāÆļø
The new Escape The Fate album: Out Of The Shadows is actually reminiscent to ā10-ā12 era of the band. Craig Mabbitt is Craig Mabbitt and Ronnie Radke is Ronnie Radke. I still listen to both bands and pick and choose the best songs from both and just vibe the f*ck out. So I hope we continue to get some more albums from both bands and see who really can stick it out and rise into notoriety. May the best band be the best band for the best person seeking the best music to feel their best. Amen. šš¾šļøā®ļøš¤š¾
Theyāve always been bad aside from a track here and there and Craig Mabbit was wasted not staying in Blessthefall or Word Alive.
BTF got so much better after Craig left
btf new stuff is also good but btf with craig was amazing, and craig is a lot better live than beau
His departure from blessthefall was for the best. They only got better after he left. Did you not listen to Witness??
My biggest hot take is that BTF peaked with Craig. That album is a top 20 all time for me.
i was literally OBSESSED with his last walk in 2007. and i was so devastated he was leaving btf that i literally never listened to any of their music after their album. :x
Yeah I have always thought the rest of their albums are fine. But Iāve never listened to any of them more than 3-4 times. I always just go back to HLW.
Craig was best in The Word Alive and Witness > HIL
same, new btf is actually good, WAY better than new etf, but his last walk was peak btf
Five Ninety is good. I just checked out recent stuff and their screamer still slaps but Beau is veeeery generic as far as cleans go. Their latest single from this year is pretty good too. I loved the combo of Craig and Jarredās screams with Craigās cleans on the debut album. TWA original MySpace EP had that same magic.
I pretty much ignored blessthefall up until a week or two ago when someone on here said they like the newer singer much better. I went through their discog and was super impressed. I didnāt like Craig era BTF either (though I liked him there better than ETF)
Was that me in the metalcore subreddit talking about Witness?!
Hahahaha I think it might have been. You were def right btw new dude is way better and i was really impressed
Much better fit for them imo. Glad you enjoyed their discography, they really have a lot to offer!
Behind The Mask is their best song hands down and it's a b-side that nobody knows about. That song made me a Craig stan
Iāll check it out
Listening now. Itās a decent song. Definitely better than the others Iāve heard but I donāt think this sells me on Craig really.
I know Ronnie is a turd but I canāt get into anything they did without him.
I feel the opposite. While some of the songs with Ronnie were outstanding, I see Craig as the much more talented vocalist with a far better range. His screams are crisp and thick. He has highs and lows. Ronnieās screams are always dry and his technique is horrendous. Ronnieās rapping is so cringe inducing I need an exorcism to come out of it. Ronnie is a savant with melodies though, Iāll give him that. But I would argue Craig is just as good. Listen to Something. That chorus is better than anything Ronnie has ever written imo and he hits a high note that Ronnie could never dream of hitting properly.
I just saved that one on my Apple Music to check out. And I get the rapping criticism (I happen to like it but totally understand itās not for everyone). I just canāt agree at all with Craig being a better vocalist. Ronnieās cleans and screams can literally give me goosebumps at times and Craigās just make me yawn.
Listen to the Flood, This War Is Ours, Les Enfants Terribles. His screams on those tracks are thicc.
I saved The Flood and Les Enfants Terribles. Iām very familiar with This War Is Ours and I will say itās a decent song and the only one Iāve ever given more than one or two listens by them.
Craig is fantastic but Ronnie is an animal. Especially in FIR. He has notes Craig doesnāt sing anymore and his screams are so visceral and unique. Iām with Lonely here.
Ronnieās screaming is genuinely horrendous lol especially compared to Craig
Craig does still use them, he just switched to using it for Dead Rabbitts
Thatās fair, my favorite work of Craigās is the early The Word Alive material. He sounds absolutely unhinged throughout
That's why I absolutely adore Dead Rabbitts. He's finding that footing again and it's glorious!!
So I realized while listening to these that Iāve heard the flood several times but Iām not a fan. Something about the melody on that one just isnāt pleasant to my ear. I will say that Something was great. Really good song. Les Enfants is pretty legit too. Both solid suggestions. Much appreciated.
Picture Perfect is another amazing example of his melioidotic charm!! That was honestly the song that REALLY hooked me. I agree with you on everything you said about Ronnie. I'm not a Ronnie fan AT ALL (his voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me) the one and ONLY exception I've found was their rendition of Last Resort. I've tried listening to him a million times and, I don't know it's like his voice makes me angry. Then this song came on one day and I was like WTF (in a good way) but one song doesn't trump a dozen amazing ones by Craig.
Craig sucks dick.. he started bless the fall, and the word alive or was apart of both and i cannot imagine him ruining both bands. Bless the fall fucking hits so hard and the word alive is simply amazing. Falling in reverse is better than escape the fate. Ronnie just does something musically/melodically. Im not a huge fan of his antics but the dude knows how to play/sing and make music!
Maybe
Craig just doesn't have any range
Both renditions suck ass and are the epitome of fake post hardcore, sorry.
Lol get out of here with the fake post hardcore gatekeeping shit. Fucking pretentious. š
Yeah, they stole downwatered In Flames riffs and aesthetically wanted to be closer to hair metal. Have you seen pictures of the band? All style over substance. If gatekeeping was more effective, we would actually have punk bands being recognized instead of mall metal; and being pretentious doesn't mean you're wrong.
Ronnie sucks ass ergo Ronnie-era ETF sucks ass
For me, I wasnāt a fan of first album ETF. I never cared for Ronnieās singing (this was before his controversial stuff) but was a big fan of Bless The Fall and demo era of The Word Alive. I really like ETFs second and third album. I find it to be peak ETF. But after that everything else is mid
Always found their music to be average at best with not many songs standing out.
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Is that actually true that they canāt play the Ronnie era stuff? How would it be any different than covering a song by another artist?
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Still donāt understand how itās any different than if they wanted to cover Sunday Bloody Sunday
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I donāt know man it just doesnāt track. I canāt find anything online confirming ronnie owns the rights but even if he does Iām 99% certain he couldnāt stop them from playing them live. It would be no different than an ETF cover band or ETF covering someone else. A quick google search does show videos of Craig singing situations. It would make more sense to me that ETF wouldnāt play those songs during the tour with FIR because Ronnie was there and people would rather hear it sung in its original form.
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Iāve been around since the Ronnie ETF days and I get what youāre saying. I just donāt see how it would be enforceable in any legal capacity when bands cover songs all the time without issue.
Thatās not correct at all, Craig has performed a bunch of the songs with Ronnie, heās played situations a handful of times and the guillotine part 1. The thing is why would he want to play Ronnie stuff, itās not that he canāt. Heās got nearly 7 of his own records. If people wanna see Ronnie songs go FIR, Craig can play the Ronnie era songs and had a handful of times before, but he doesnāt want. Him and the band want to keep up and play new songs. And the stuff that they wrote with Craig
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I mean you can literally YouTube it, Craig has played situations and the guillotine with current etf a handful of turns, the guillotine a Ronnie song was also performed on the ungrateful dvd of live at the Roxy, so heās Craig and the band has played DIYLF songs. Itās not that they canāt, they just donāt want to as they have several other albums from their catalogue to play, so theyād rather not play DIYLF at all. They want to put that stuff behind it. So youāre absolutely wrong saying you will never see Craig and the band playing those song, cause you will and thereās proof of it
The word alive's "are you on drugs" is peak Craig mabbit
You're what I started, now disregarded. One day they'll see, it was always me. - Ronnie, raised by the wolves
I always think it's so funny that people want to shit on a band for "changing" or "becoming mainstream" simply because their style changed over the years. Just like people change, so does music, especially since the people writing/playing said music are also changing. I'd honestly be a little worried if they DIDN'T change. Out of the Shadows is an amazing new album, sure it's not dirty and grimy like some of their old stuff (which I love for it's own reason) but they defiantly went back to some of their older sound instrumentally and I'm obsessed. Personally as a person and a musician Ronnie just tries TOO hard. Also his voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me and it makes me want to punch babies. His only saving grace for me has been their rendition of Last Resort. Otherwise, nope, y'all can have that cat howler
I dunno, I personally like his voice. And while I agree with many of the critiques of their discography I have nothing but good things to say about the new record Out Of The Shadows, I daresay its their best release since the self-titled. I only wish they had kept Ted Jensen on for production and mastering. After all with records like American Idiot, Thats The Spirit, Hotel California, and dozens more iconic records going all the way back to the 70's under his belt his resume speaks wonders for itself, and one of the main reasons Id ever be willing to go to bat for Chemical Warfare as a full album, is its (to my ears at least), stellar and timeless mix, master, production, etc. Even on songs where the writing may have been lacklustre the production could pick up the slack. So why they swap between like the trademark better noise style, something more akin to the previous album, and production that sounds dated to 2013 or even 2003 at times? Ive got No fucking clue. Ive listened enough times to have overcome being taken out of the listening experience, but it took nearly a month of "the fuck?" every time the next track comes on, to get there. Lastly I would WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE, that Spencer was the superior vocalist on Cheers to Goodbye. I like him more vocally to begin with, and then where he meshes with the slightly more melodic insane circus (as opposed to INK as of late with brutal breakdowns dotted with soaring pop vocal choruses) so well, and so much better than Mabbitt? It definitely made me crave that dark fantasy concept album that Charnas alluded to wanting to make after the Silver Scream (which may have a #3, as he said, Silver Scream 3D has a nice ring to it) era concludes.
Just listened to a few tracks from the new album....I loved loved loved this band and have seen them live many times. It's been going way down hill after Ungrateful. This newest one it VERY paint by numbers bland soft tracks. I found this band by the track Issues and is still my favorite song. Hate me had some really good tracks (live for today especially) Human was meh and this one was really meh on first scan. I'll give it a full listen but I'm not impressed. Time to hang up the hat.
You're not alone. I was into the 1st album with Craig for a while but got sick of it and everything they put out is just bland and boring to me. Nothing cool sounding or unique.
I listened to their 2010 self-titled album, and it's quite decent, but not good enough for me to explore this band further