Hopesfall
Magnetic North

How Hopesfall managed to produce their best album just months before their breakup and when they already seemed to be in full decline is an inexplicable fact. I can't recall another similar case from memory.

Let me take a few steps back, mentioning the previous 2 works of the Charlotte quintet. In 2001, they released "Satellite Years," which is possibly their most famous album and the one that set the guidelines for the Hopesfall Style, a record that is, in many respects, amazing although somewhat repetitive at times. The subsequent "A Types" was the turning point album; it marked a definitive change in direction from their past, and a general softening, though with some notable highlights (for example, "Breathe From Coma"), I consider it overall a mediocre album, and it gave me the impression that Hopesfall had lost (I feared definitively) their drive, inspiration, and talent.

With "Magnetic North," Hopesfall returns to shine in the most splendid manner ever, producing a mature, complex, and elegant album like never before, sometimes unleashing a rage and overwhelming passion that I didn't think they could muster again. Everything is superbly blended, the enveloping harmonies and the angrier parts intertwine in a skillful and never predictable way, the quality of the songwriting reaches very high levels, the vocal lines are passionate and exciting, everything is perfectly balanced. Another feature of "Magnetic North" is that every track leaves a mark; there is practically no banal, boring, or bland passage, a truly inspired album. If it’s not clear yet, personally I consider it their masterpiece, if not even a masterpiece of post-hardcore, even if the label fits, here more than ever, absolutely tightly.

I honestly can't explain why Hopesfall is a relatively little-known band, especially considering that some characteristics of their music have never been equaled elsewhere, the wisdom and mastery with which only they knew how to weave delightful melodic interplays makes them a unique and inimitable group.
My advice can only be, LISTEN TO IT and let yourself be carried away by this splendid record.