Nottingham band Falling Below have honed an engaging and atmospheric alternative metal sound that blends big riffs and raw honesty, and they describe as “melodic, heavy and emotive.”
The quintet of Alex James Methven (vocals), Christo Loukopoulos (guitar), Luke Hawksworth (guitar), Lloyd Sibson (bass) and Ryan Hextall (drums) formed in 2023 through various online musician groups on Facebook. They all share a passion for music and quickly became inspired by the initial demos they worked on, which developed into their debut self-titled album, released in June.
And on the sound they’ve crafted since, Alex told us: “With our newest music, our sound has evolved into a blend of aggressive guitar riffs with modern synth layers. We added everything from catchy leads to ethereal pads to make each song more cinematic and emotionally impactful.”
Our latest taste of this is Pieces, which was released in September. It opens up with synth sounds with distant echoey vocals and the synths continue over big guitar chords before a delicious little guitar lick comes in. Rolling drums tee up a busy opening verse supported by chugging guitars and a funky little lick, which feeds into a big singalong chorus “I’ll take, I’ll take one look at you and see, You fall, you fall to pieces, You’re so weak.” The vocals intensify through a quick second chorus that flows straight into another chorus. A guitar solo takes over and dual guitars and a big drum roll tee up a big final blast of the chorus supported by heavy guitars and synths.
That comes ahead of the band’s upcoming EP Holding Out For Hope, which will be released next year. On the record, Alex told us: “We’re honestly buzzing for people to hear it. I’ve always wanted this EP to be experienced front to back, the way it flows from heavy, crushing moments into softer, more reflective parts. There’s a constant thread running through it, about being beaten down by life’s struggles, but still finding something worth holding on for.
“Compared to our debut, this one feels like a step up. We’ve kept the heart of our sound, but we’ve pushed ourselves with new twists and a more modern edge that we all feel really proud of.”
Speaking of the debut, it’s packed with more lively metal goodness. That includes the excellent opening track Liar, which you can check out in the video below, the big, anthemic Second Encounter, a personal favourite track Memories, which features a cool stabbing guitar riff under Alex’s engaging vocals and a heavy breakdown before a big guitar solo, and the banging final track Answers, which features again with a piano version.
The Falling Below sound has been influenced by a wide range of musical interests, from Alex’s love of singers like Chris Daughtry, David Coverdale and Myles Kennedy to Christo being ino metalcore bands like Spiritbox and more experimental and progressive bands like Periphery. Ryan’s drumming owes plenty to Bad Wolves, TesseracT and Sleep Token, Lloyd loves the style of Jacob Umansky from Intervals and Luke is big into modern metal bands like Polaris and Monuments.
And on what inspires them to write music, Alex explains: “I like to keep things as real as possible. I write straight from my emotions, how I’m feeling in the moment, how I see the world, or how I process certain situations. Songwriting is a release for me, and it allows me to turn those feelings into something constructive. When we bring it into our sound as a band, it becomes a way to share those experiences in a style we all connect with and love.”
Falling Below will be releasing two more singles over the next few months, building up to the release of their new EP Holding Out For Hope on 20 February. The following day, they’ll be playing a hometown launch show at Rough Trade in Nottingham, with all the details available on their website. And you can pre-save the EP here.
And Alex added: “We’re so grateful to everyone who’s been with us on this journey. Falling Below has always been about connection, and we can’t wait to share more music and shows that bring people together and remind them they’re not alone.”
You can follow Falling Below on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and YouTube.
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