For the Fallen Dreams, often abbreviated FTFD, is an American metalcore band from Lansing, Michigan,[1][2] formed in 2003. The band originally signed to Rise Records but produced one album under Artery Recordings in 2012. After the departure of then vocalist Dylan Richter and the return of vocalist Chad Ruhlig in 2013, the band started producing music under Rise Records once again until 2022.[2]
The group has had a complicated history of members. Many members of the band were friends of the band who would fill spots temporarily. Noticeable past members, based on length of participation and role, include Joe Ellis, Andrew Tkaczyk, Dylan Richter, Navid Naghdi, and Brandon Stastny. Jim Hocking is the only member of the original line-up that remains in the band.
History
Formation and early years (2003–2006)
Jim Hocking (lead guitar), Andrew Tkaczyk (drums), Aaron Long (vocals), Chris Croll (rhythm guitar) and Chris Ash (bass) formed For the Fallen Dreams in 2003. While Long, Croll and Ash only had brief stays in the band Hocking and Tkaczyk watched members come and go (including Chad Ruhlig on bass) for the first two years of the band's existence; altogether amounting to 10 members.
Jim Hocking
Changes and Ruhlig's departure (2007–2009)
In early 2006, the band added Chad Ruhlig as vocalist and produced the album Changes which was released in 2008 after members Marcus Morgan (rhythm guitar) and Scott Green (bass) had also left the band.
On January 8, 2008, the band released its first full-length studio album called Changes.
In January, FTFD and Cassius, a band signed to Lifeforce Records, planned a tour visiting seventeen states, starting and ending in Michigan.[4]
FTFD performed at The Modern Exchange in Southgate, Michigan on July 30, 2008, with bands I Am Abomination and A Day to Remember.[5]
Richter's arrival, Relentless and Ellis' departure (2009–2010)
Chad Ruhlig departed For the Fallen Dreams in 2008, the same year that they released their highly acclaimed album Changes. Ruhlig stated that the departure was mutual and that he and the band both wished the best for each other[6] After Ruhlig's departure the band quickly welcomed Dylan Richter as the new lead vocalist. Dylan Richter fronted the band From Under the Gallows previous to FTFD.
On July 21, 2009, the album Relentless was released. It charted at number 29 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers list.
They performed with Azriel and Confession at The Cockpit in Leeds, UK in March 2010.[8]
2009 saw the departure Chris Cain on rhythm guitar and the arrival of Kalan Blehm. In 2010, bassist Joe Ellis, member since 2007, also left the band, leaving a spot that would be filled and vacated by two members in the same year.
Tkaczyk's departure, Back Burner and Stastny's arrival (2011–2012)
On May 24, 2011, For the Fallen Dreams released the album Back Burner. The band produced two music videos to the songs "The Big Empty" and "Let Go".
In 2011, founding member Andrew Tkaczyk departed the band and joined The Ghost Inside. Tkaczyk would remain completely removed from the band until 2013 when Chad Ruhlig returned. After Ruhlig's return Tkaczyk rejoined FTFDs efforts, contributing to composition and songwriting.[10] Jordan McPherson, bassist and backing vocalist, and Arvan Sarathy, drums/percussion, also joined and departed the band in 2011.
One month prior to the release, the music video for the song "Resolvent Feelings" was released. "Resolvent Feelings" was the only song on the album had a music video.[11]
In 2013, Kalan Blehm departed For the Fallen Dreams and joined Attila as their new bassist and backing vocalist. Blehm was the last full-time rhythm guitarist on the band's roster. Dylan Shippey joined FTFD as the new percussionist, filling the spot that Arvan Sarathy vacated in late 2011.
Richter's departure and Ruhlig's return (2013–2014)
In 2013, Richter decided to part ways with For the Fallen Dreams after acting as vocalist for the three full-length albums Relentless (2009), Back Burner (2011), and Wasted Youth (2012). Richter cited his need for change and prioritizing and that home-life was the reason for departing For the Fallen Dreams.[15]
Being aware of Richter's eventual departure For the Fallen Dreams contacted Chad Ruhlig to see if he would be interested in returning. In an interview on the May 23, 2013, Ruhlig stated that his return seemed like a logical choice because of his relationship to the band and the band's need to stay genuine to their sound. Ruhlig also stated that he was impressed by Richter's work on Relentless and Back Burner and that despite his absence those albums were true to For the Fallen Dreams musical style.[16]
Chad Ruhlig
Wasted Youth had been released not even six months prior to Dylan Richter's departure and the band had no intention of letting the loss of a member slow their progress, after all For the Fallen Dreams history was rife with transient members.
FTFD planned on attending the Boys of Summer tour in Australia in January 2013 but cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.[17]
The single "Substance" was released in May 2013. The single marked Ruhlig's return and showed fans the style of music they should anticipate for their next album.[18]
In April, while performing tour dates with Abandon All Ships and Dream on Dreamer in Europe and the UK, the band announced their own headlining tour which included 27 dates between May and June. Upon this Dawning, Hundredth, Gideon, To the Wind, and Wolves at the Gate had also signed onto the tour.[19]
FTFD announced that they would be returning to Australia in September 2013 to attend tour dates with The Plot in You, Storm the Sky, and Fit for a King. They had to cancel due to injuries that Ruhlig sustained from a motorbike accident. Ruhlig needed a wheelchair for at least two months and was told that he might need surgery on his leg.[20]
In the months of October and November, FTFD acted as support for Senses Fail's headlining tour.[21] The band had started playing singles from their next album Heavy Hearts at this time gearing up fans in preparation for its release in 2014.
Late in 2013, percussionist Dylan Shippey departed For the Fallen Dreams and Navid Naghdi joined to fill Shippey's place.
Heavy Hearts and Naghdi's departure (2014–2017)
The album Heavy Hearts was released on April 4, 2014, and is the fifth studio album the band has produced.
It was reported on September 8, 2014, by AltPress that the band had released a music video for the song "Bombay".[22]
Brandon Stastny
On June 5, 2014, the band performed with Obey the Brave, I the Breather, Sylar, and Reflections at The Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia, July 17, 2014, the band visited Camden, London and performed at The Underworld, and For the Fallen Dreams headlined on The Amity Affliction's Don't Lean On Me Tour and the Let the Ocean Take Me Tour from September to October 2014.
On March 15, 2015, For the Fallen Dreams performed with Norma Jean, Silent Planet, and Sirens and Sailors.
In 2015, Shed my Skin interviewed Chad and Jim wherein they recalled how a truck had smashed into their trailer on tour a year earlier. Jim recollects climbing out of the van after being awoken by the accident to Chad telling him that a truck had hit the trailer and was stuck inside of it. To Jim's surprise Chad wasn't exaggerating, the truck had wedged itself all the way inside the band's 7' by 14' trailer. Luckily a bass drum, a lot of merchandise, and miscellaneous things were the only losses from the accident. In the same interview Jim and Chad described how every band experiences hiccups like theft and road accidents, and that they were hopeful that this accident would be the last mishap for at least six months.[24] In the same year as this interview former member and current songwriter of FTFD Andrew Tkaczyk and other members of The Ghost Inside were also involved in a road incident in their touring van. Tkaczyk lost his right leg as a result of the accident.[25]
Navid Naghdi
At some undetermined time the For the Fallen Dreams Wikipedia page was edited as saying that percussionist Navid Naghdi had left the band in 2016. There are no sources at this point in time that provide evidence for this being true. Further investigation shows that sources like Shockwave Magazine, the website Cryptic Rock, and the band's own Facebook page show that Naghdi is still the acting percussionist for the band. He announced his departure from For The Fallen Dreams on June 2, 2016, via his Instagram account. He was drum tech for Suicide Silence and current drum tech for Asking Alexandria.[26][27][28]
Six and Stastny's departure (2018–2020)
On January 12, 2018, Rise Records published the music video for the song "Stone" on YouTube. The song is off of the upcoming album.
Six was released on February 16, 2018. Some tracks, like "Forever", are likened to a gritty version of Deftones or Breaking Benjamin.[27]
On March 14, 2018, the music video for "Unstoppable" off of Six was debuted. Bassist Brandon Stastny shot and edited the video. In a brief interview the band told of how the video was shot in their home-state of Michigan a few hundred yards off the coastline on the Lake Michigan shelf ice formations which occur every winter. The day the video was shot was the only clear and sunny day during that month so it couldn't have been more perfect, they explained.[29]
Blehm's return, new label and self-titled seventh album (2021–present)
On February 19, 2021, the band confirmed that they had begun recording their seventh album.[30] On June 17, 2022, the band revealed that they had parted ways with Rise Records and signed with Arising Empire. On June 21, following a series of teasers released on various social media, the band unveiled the first single entitled "What If" along with a music video.[31] On August 5, the band released the second single titled "Sulfate".[32]
On September 6, the band published the third single "Re-Animate" and its corresponding music video.[33] On October 20, the band released the fourth single "No Heaven" and an accompanying music video.[34] On January 19, 2023, the band premiered the fifth single "Last One Out" with a music video. At the same time, they officially announced that their self-titled seventh studio album would be released on March 10, 2023 while also revealed the album cover and the track list.[35] The music video for "Without You" was released March 10, 2023, coinciding with the album release.[36]
One of the most noticeable changes in For the Fallen Dreams musical style came while Dylan Richter was the acting lead vocalist. Both the third studio album Back Burner and the fourth studio album Wasted Youth had more clean vocals than the albums previous to them and their music took on an A Day to Remember-like sound. Richter worked with Jeremy McKinnon, the vocalist of A Day to Remember, on the song Nightmares which was featured on the 2009 album Relentless.Tom Denney, former guitarist of A Day to Remember, produced and mixed the 2011 album Back Burner and the 2012 album Wasted Youth.
As the band has aged, the occurrence of clean vocals has increased. The Richter's era featured a dramatic shift in the amount of clean vocals in songs. Back Burner and Wasted Youth included many choruses where Richter sang clean vocals. At this time, Hocking was performing very little backing and clean vocals but in 2013, with the reemergence of Ruhlig, he stepped up to the microphone and can be heard on tracks like "Emerald Blue", "Bombay", "Amnesia", amongst others on the Heavy Hearts album. With 2018's album Six, Hocking established himself as the full-fledged clean vocalist of the band.
Composition and lyrical content
Composition
Jim Hocking is the only founding member of For the Fallen Dreams that remains on the line-up. Andrew Tkaczyk was the main songwriter up until he left the band in 2011 and joined The Ghost Inside; contributing to Changes (2008) and Relentless (2009). FTFD's signature sound was the making of Tkaczyk but their steady musical style over their history is the product of Hocking's tenure.[38] Tkaczyk completely separated from the band in 2011 but returned to the songwriting front when original vocalist Chad Ruhlig returned in 2013.[39] The Heavy Hearts album featured the song "Emerald Blue" which was partially composed by Tkaczyk.
After Tkacyk's departure, Hocking and Richter worked together on the albums Back Burner (2011) and Wasted Youth (2012).[40]
Lyrical content
For the Fallen Dreams lyrical content has been consistent over its history. The lyrical content of both the Richter and Ruhlig eras express the human condition, disposition towards others, instability, intense feelings, finding strength, and loss of faith in humanity.[41][42]
CKY is an American rock band from West Chester, Pennsylvania. Formed in 1998 by vocalist and guitarist Deron Miller, guitarist Chad I Ginsburg and drummer Jess Margera, the group currently features Margera, Ginsburg, and bassist Ronnie Elvis James. CKY found initial recognition through its contributions to the CKY video series and Jackass TV series, both of which featured Margera's brother Bam.
Flaw is an American heavy metal band from Louisville, Kentucky, formed by guitarist Jason Daunt in 1996. After a string of rough independent recordings in the 1990s, the band signed to Republic and Universal Music Group and released two major label albums, Through the Eyes in 2001 and Endangered Species in 2004. Breakups, line-up changes, and internal strife plagued the band for the rest of the decade, though from 2015 to 2017, the band reformed with three of their core members to tour and write music. The band released their third studio album, Divided We Fall, in 2016, and a fourth studio album, Vol IV: Because of the Brave in 2019. An album of cover songs, Revival, was later released in 2022. The band's lineup frequently shifts; lead vocalist Chris Volz is the only constant member.
Emmure is an American metalcore band formed in 2003. Originally based in New Fairfield, Connecticut, before moving to Queens, New York, the group has released eight albums, with their first public release being a 2006 EP entitled The Complete Guide to Needlework.
A Skylit Drive is an American post-hardcore band from Lodi, California. The band has released one DVD, one EP and five studio albums: Wires...and the Concept of Breathing (2008), Adelphia (2009), Identity on Fire (2011), Rise (2013) and, most recently, ASD (2015). The band has toured internationally both as headliner and supporting act. In 2017, the band broke up after a dispute between Nick Miller and Michael Jagmin. Original vocalist Jordan Blake died in April 2023.
Miss May I is an American metalcore band from Troy, Ohio. Formed in 2007, they signed to Rise Records in 2008 and released their debut album, Apologies Are for the Weak through the label while the members were still attending high school. The album reached 76 on the Billboard 200, No. 29 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers, and No. 66 on Top Independent Albums. The band has also had some of their material featured in big name productions; the song "Forgive and Forget" is featured on the Saw VI Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, and their song "Apologies Are for the Weak" is included in the video game Saints Row: The Third.
Asking Alexandria are an English rock band formed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and now based in York, North Yorkshire, consisting of guitarist Cameron Liddell, drummer James Cassells, vocalist Danny Worsnop, and bassist Sam Bettley.
The Ghost Inside, formerly known as A Dying Dream, is an American metalcore band from El Segundo, California. Formed in 2004, the band currently consists of vocalist Jonathan Vigil, guitarists Zach Johnson and Chris Davis, bassist Jim Riley and drummer Andrew Tkaczyk. They have released one EP and five studio albums, with their latest, The Ghost Inside, released on June 5, 2020, via Epitaph Records as a return from their hiatus.
Changes is the debut studio album by American metalcore band For the Fallen Dreams. It was released on January 8, 2008, through Rise Records and was produced by Joey Sturgis.
Relentless is the second studio album by American metalcore band For the Fallen Dreams. It is the first album to feature vocalist Dylan Richter. It was released on July 21, 2009, through Rise Records and was produced by the band themselves and Joey Sturgis. The album charted at number 29 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart.
Back Burner is the third studio album by American metalcore band For the Fallen Dreams. It was released on May 24, 2011, through Rise Records and was produced by Tom Denney. Back Burner is the first album not to feature original drummer and primary songwriter Andrew Tkaczyk and final for Rise Records before their subsequent contractual release from the label.
Attila is an American metalcore band from Atlanta, Georgia, founded in 2005. Known for their rap and nu metal musical influences, they have released eight full-length albums since their inception.
Wasted Youth is the fourth studio album by American metalcore band For the Fallen Dreams. It was released on July 17, 2012, and was produced by the band themselves and Tom Denney. It is their only album to be released through Artery Recordings since their departure from Rise Records, as well as the first album by the band to feature bassist Brandon Stastny and the only record to feature Dylan Shippey on drums. It is also the last record by the band to feature guitarist Kalan Blehm and vocalist Dylan Richter, who featured on the two last records.
The Plot in You is an American rock band formed in Hancock County, Ohio in 2010. Originally a side project of former Before Their Eyes member Landon Tewers, the group is composed of Tewers, guitarist Josh Childress, bassist Ethan Yoder and drummer Michael Cooper.
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Heavy Hearts is the fifth studio album by American metalcore band For the Fallen Dreams. It was released on April 4, 2014, through Rise Records and was produced by Josh Schroeder.
Divination is the debut studio album by Australian metalcore band In Hearts Wake. It was released on 31 August 2012 through UNFD and Rise Records. It was produced by Josh Schroeder and recorded at Random Awesome Studio in Bay City during early 2012.
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Six is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band For the Fallen Dreams. It was released on February 16, 2018, through Rise Records and was produced by Josh Schroeder. It is their last album to be released on this label before the band signed to Arising Empire in 2022.
Varials is an American metalcore band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in October 2013. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Mitchell Rogers, guitarist James Hohenwarter, bassist Mike Foley and drummer Sean Rauchut.
For the Fallen Dreams is the seventh studio album by American metalcore band For the Fallen Dreams. It was released on March 10, 2023, through Arising Empire and was produced by Jonathan Dolese. The album is the band's first studio release with the label.
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