SONG REVIEW: Fault Lines - "Die Young"
Fault Lines call on 90’s nostalgia vibes in sound and visuals with “Die Young”
Written by JD Walker
They say that music is cyclical and trends tend to reemerge every thirty or so years - thirty years ago was the peak of Korn, Limp Bizkit, and the Deftones, so we should be seeing that sound coming back now right? Absolutely. Fault Lines bring a modern spin to the classic nu-metal sound in their new single “Die Young”, an ambient but still heavy hitting banger of a song that calls on many of the best elements of yesteryear in a modernized presentation.
“Die Young” starts off without wasting any time - the song begins with a crunchy, groovy riff that’s a mixture of chuggs and pinch harmonics before kicking into a rap-driven verse. The chorus that the rapping leads into is a true headturner, executing a more melodic and ambient sound with a heavy Deftones influence in both the instrumental and the vocal delivery. The overall tone of the song is dreary in a way that only a 90’s nu-metal song can be and very much follows the vein of bands like Loathe and Ocean Grove in terms of 90’s songwriting approach with modern production value.
“Die Young” is an excellent continuation of the trend that alternative metal has seen as of late - heavy, groovy guitar riffs of the nu-metal scene mixed with drums that the djent scene came to offer, and finally capped off with a versatile vocalist that can seemingly do it all. Corey Pettit absolutely lives up to that mark by showing just how wide of a range his vocal delivery is - he was able to effortlessly switch between harsh screams, rapping, and Chino Moreno-esque celans. Dylan Cheatham and Joe Burns on guitar and bass (respectively) brought the groove and had plenty of ambiance to add that complimented Pettit’s vocals, and drummer Chris Blankenship didn’t relent whatsoever when it came to driving the song.
The video for “Die Young” slowly fades from 90’s imagery to modern visual presentation as the song goes on - the vibrant colors, tracksuits, and shoulder-adorned boomboxes of the 90’s eventually became an elaborate skatepark scene, bridging the gap between 90’s culture and the vibe of today. The video eventually devolves into a pool party filled with trippy colors, hard seltzer, and booty as far as the eye can see.
“Die Young” is an excellent song through and through and shows just how timeless the 90’s truly were - so timeless, in fact, that the culture of the 90’s has slowly become the culture of today. Many of the same trends in music from back then are reemerging and Fault Lines are a great example of that - even if the sound has been explored, there’s no reason why it can’t still be awesome.