Reflection On Great Fall Onto Madness Music Album By Mr. Bones And The Boneyard Circus
Hailing from the dear Philippines, Mr. Bones and the Boneyard Circus brings a unique flavorful taste to the local music scene. The septet has been described as a "horror rock/theatrical macabre" band, a lively carnival that only a few choose to go to. With a more refined sound from their previous album “Horror Scene”, “Great Fall Onto Madness” wisely took a path to a heavier sound to showcase the themes they have to present.
The album opens with the grim echo of bells, setting the ambiance for the theme of madness with a hint of a circus, fulfilling it with the sound of outrage in "Fantasy Seen". With the eventual marching band sound, flaunting the darkness inside of them, it brings the feeling of a resurrected and darker Black Parade previously led by My Chemical Romance. Coins drop with the beautifully synthesized accordions in the song “3 Coins”. As he melodically narrates in character, the infusion of a few screams made this song all the more powerful, keeping in the spirit of rock.
"Murder Down the Alley Way" comes up with the sudden sound of cliché build-up on a piano but with a killer execution (see what I did there?) of the quick vocals as a death-crazed witness. The chorus kicks in at a slower tempo, giving a stone cold vibe towards death that grounds everything eerily. The catchy tune of “Grimm Daddy Grimm Lady” makes it sound like a dark nursery rhyme for the crazed that would probably appeal to Gomez and Morticia Addams. Rightly followed by “Victoria’s Lullaby”, it completes a family figure, giving special attention to a child. The minimal lyrics in the song makes it all the more beautiful as it shows off the mellow acoustic guitar paired with the soft and gentle sound of Maricon Reyes’sviola.
Ria Bautista appears in “Ghost Train” with the classic “Come one, come all!” invitation for a ride. The song is filled with a powerful tune laced with subtle electronics to add to the cliché horror factor. What is missing here is the punch of Bautista’s vocals that did not make up for the grit in Mr. Bones’ voice.
Right after predecessor’s riff, “The Hatter” acts as an interlude with its simple instrumental that lacks strength as a rock song with its repetitive synths that drowned out the background guitars but made up just a little bit of it with its punchy outro riff. “Crooked Faces” opens with a lone, sharp guitar riff that signals heaviness and it didn’t fail in satisfying that – except for the unvaried synths that once again that undeservingly took the spotlight. What really brings the goosebumps here is the heavier replay of the motif of “Victoria’s Lullaby”, with its calming sound contrasting the theme of this song, showing the progression through the album.
With a dominating sound, “Shadows in My Room” features Ramona Thornes, with her throaty screams and seductive vocals that introduces a *spark*, that made this song have more romantic character. Too bad, that spark reaches its downfall in “Watch the World Burn”. Caren Tevanny provided guitar riffs with a blend of anger and heartbreak.
“When Black Fades to Gray” may be an imperfect piano instrumental with its out-of-place rapid notes but it gives depth to the gloomy nature of the pianist. “Her Last Drop” comes with murderous vocals, ‘demolition lovers’ style. The tune of this one displays downfall that hints it as the finale of the album, which is fitting for someone who met her end here.
Adding to the theme of the album, "Explode" plays shortly as if to show the band as insane jesters goofing around in the circus, wanting "to see your head explode" in more electronic and less varied guitars and synths that worked perfectly together. While each piece in this album has its own flavor, all of their lyrics are beautifully written that stays strong in a dark, insane, and mad character that is rarely seen from other Filipino bands who write in English. With a circus and carnival style, this professionally produced album can act as a filmstrip recording the past, with timeless excellence that I highly recommend to everyone, and show them the other musical styles that Filipino bands can produce.
