For the Fallen Dreams

For The Fallen Dreams have achieved a career milestone with Wasted Youth, their new album that chronicles the heartbreak, frustration, anger, and despair surrounding broken relationships, hard-fought struggles and the determination to persevere.

Each track is a testament to what self-empowerment can bring in the face of obstacles they and their fans have struggled against. Wasted Youth is full of powerful anthems that inspire and uplift even as they challenge the status quo and rail against all enemies in their path.

For The Fallen Dreams set the scene ablaze with their previous albums Changes, Relentless and Back Burner -all three chock full of melodic hooks and devastating breakdowns. The band has now signed with Artery Recordings / Razor & Tie for this landmark release, Wasted Youth, that heralds a brand new chapter for the band. The sound that has carried For The Fallen Dreams across the globe on tours with groups like Unearth, Of Mice & Men, Norma Jean, For Today and Chelsea Grin is now infused with a new energy and a steadfast commitment to songwriting, structure and passion.

“With our previous albums we wrote what we love and what we feel,” explains charismatic vocalist Dylan Richter. “This new album is the next step forward. Our last album Back Burner was better than everything that came before and our new album is even better than that. It’s in the same vein as the last album but more mature, musically and lyrically.”

The Michigan based band has landed firmly at the crossroads between melody and ferocious heaviness with Wasted Youth, produced by Tom Denney, the former guitarist and co-songwriter of the similarly minded band A Day To Remember. Denney has a strong rapport with the band having also produced their last album.

The chemistry between Denney and guitarists Jim Hocking and Kalan Blehm was palpable in the studio. “It was a stress free environment working with Tom on the last record and this one,” Dylan says. “There was no holding back.”

“Tom had a big influence on some of the songs on the last record and on this one, but with that being said, we’ve definitely worked to make sure we have a sound that is purely our own,” emphasizes Dylan. “When I’ve played the record for my friends, some of them have said it has a bit of a Boys Night Out feel. At the end of the day, I just want it to sound good and to be the best representation of us it can be.”

And the album is exactly that. The tracks on Wasted Youth are a broad sampling of the band’s various extremes. The metal stuff is heavier than it’s ever been, while the melodic side shines even more brightly than before. All of the music is bolstered by Dylan’s incredibly straightforward and personal approach to the lyrics, which have allowed fans to connect on a deeply intimate level. “When I write I like to write about my life and what’s going on around it. I grew up listening to many bands and listening to songs that got me through some hard times -- when I write now, I want kids to listen and read my lyrics and maybe I can help them out in a way that I got when I was listening to music. A lot of the songs, they're about relationships and family.”

The song “Resolvent Feelings” tackles relationships that ended so badly that it’s too late to make amends. “Waking Up Alone,” the album’s softest track, deals with the feelings of regret that can surround difficult splits in life. “These songs are all about my family, my friends, myself, situations from the past – relationships where things went awry.”

With the Wasted Youth, a slot on the 2012 summer All Stars Tour alongside Suicide Silence, Unearth, Dance Gavin Dance, The Word Alive, A Skylit Drive and the new backing of Artery Recordings / Razor & Tie it’s assured that the future is wide open for For The Fallen Dreams. The more Dylan and his band mates (rounded out by drummer Dylan Shippey and bassist Brandon Stastny) connect with their audience, the stronger that bond becomes, and the more the band will continue to grow.

For The Fallen Dreams connection to their fanbase is paramount. The band is regularly approached at shows by fans who have shared what the songs have meant to them and how they’ve helped them to overcome situations in their own lives.

“There have been kids who've come up to me and been like, ‘Hey man, I don't know how to tell you this but I want to let you know that the reason why I haven't committed suicide is because of your music, you've really helped me out a lot,” the singer reflects. “Some kids have cried and given me really big hugs. I don't know what to say to them, what am I going to say? I thank them, you know?

“It makes me feel good ‘though because I have been there in my life and for me to be able to help others out, that's what I want this band to be remembered for,” Dylan says thoughtfully. “Obviously, everyone wants to be the best band and to be remembered for what they've done, but I want to be the band that's inspired kids and got them through really hard times. That makes me feel good that maybe something I said to someone made a difference in their life, something positive and that's why they're still here.”