Talk about an album that’s aged extraordinarily well. One of the more interesting genre shifts happened when Facedown Records band A Hope For Home released their 2010 masterwork, Realis. Almost completely gone was the heavy Underoath-influenced post-hardcore of their first two records, and in its place was Realis, a criminally underrated masterpiece that quite honestly stands on the level of the genre’s best albums, like Panopticon and Through Silver In Blood. It’s that good – and so is the follow-up, In Abstraction.
“Revisited” is the first official entry in a series that will highlight influential and overlooked albums from bands who have unfairly flown under the radar.
An album and band this talented should not be overlooked, ever. Realis is a masterclass in what happens when post-rock, post-metal, and atmospheric post-hardcore coalesce into one motion. Listening to the album, its strongpoints are obvious. There is expansive songwriting where even the shorter songs (“The Overman”, especially) never feel rushed, and more lengthy tracks like “The Machine Stops” and “The Crippling Fear” exhibit a strong metalcore influence with their dissonant riffs that explode into frighteningly explosive choruses – similar to Ruin // Hollow Crown-era Architects. The album also serves as a prelude to the band’s most recent album, In Abstraction.
While it’s been 7 years since AHFH have released any new material, almost anyone can listen to Realis and realize there is obvious talent dripping from their veins. For those who have heard this record, though, you know it’s a hidden gem – one that is both memorable and a boundary-altering work of art. Don’t miss out.
