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10.0
120812
10.0 |
Q
Rather than succumb to difficult second album syndrome, Fontaines D.C. have emerged frontrunners in an already filed of vital, important young bands. A Hero's Death is a resounding victory. Print edition only
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10.0
120897
10.0 |
The Guardian
The Dublin band deliver a difficult but powerful second album full of songwriting that stares life in the face
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10.0
120910
10.0 |
musicOMH
Shunning a tried-and-tested formula to focus on evolution and experimentation is always a massive risk. But by choosing to embrace their calmer, and often much darker side, the Dubliners could well have given us their masterpiece. Fontaines DC, succumb to difficult second album syndrome? Not a chance
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9.0
121051
9.0 |
God Is In The TV
This album is dark. There is light but it is in the cracks in the blind, the sun breaking through a bank of grey clouds
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9.0
120869
9.0 |
Gigwise
A Hero’s Death is a serious and rare achievement, particularly from a band that could have satisfied everyone with more of the same, and instead chose to evolve
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9.0
120889
9.0 |
DIY
If you thought another rollicking, rabble-rouser was on the cards, it’s time to think again
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9.0
120821
9.0 |
XS Noize
What makes the Fontaines D.C. evolutionary leap so unique is that they could do this by re-joining Dogrel producer Dan Carey in his Streatham studio whilst also ensuring that the essence of the debut remained nurtured and not forgotten
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9.0
120856
9.0 |
Clash
Subversive, non-conformist and melodious, this record has the credentials of a classic rock and roll album
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8.5
120810
8.5 |
The Line Of Best Fit
A Hero’s Death just confirms what we’ve known all along: Fontaines D.C. intend to become one of the greatest rock bands of all time, and they don’t mind doing it the hard way
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8.5
120811
8.5 |
Northern Transmissions
Whether fans take to A Hero’s Death or not, Fontaines D.C. are more than at peace with it. And the band are willing to go down fighting in its defense
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8.1
120909
8.1 |
Pitchfork
Heady, funny, and fearless, the Dublin band’s second album is a maudlin and manic triumph, a horror movie shot as comedy, equal parts future-shocked and handcuffed to history
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8.1
120931
8.1 |
Paste Magazine
The Irish band’s quick follow-up album mines maturity from far darker sounds
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8.0
120915
8.0 |
Exclaim
The propulsive spark that lit their debut lingers, keeping the record from drifting off into malaise. There a certainty to their uncertainty. They embrace ambiguity. Fontaines D.C. might be unsure of what they want, but they damn well know what they don't when they see it
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8.0
120921
8.0 |
Evening Standard
Dissecting the disarray of success
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8.0
120809
8.0 |
The Irish Times
Same band, different songs, same brilliance
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8.0
120905
8.0 |
The Arts Desk
It’s still unmistakably them – all bodacious repetition, lilting brogue
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8.0
120899
8.0 |
The Independent
The Irish band aren’t scared of admitting their own insecurities on this impressive follow-up to their Mercury Prize-shortlisted debut
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8.0
120813
8.0 |
Uncut
Introspective and tightly wound. Print edition only
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8.0
120814
8.0 |
Mojo
It's darker and more complex than their debut, but also bigger-sounding. Print edition only
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8.0
120866
8.0 |
NME
In aiming to examine the self rather than please others, Fontaines D.C. have exerted a knack for writing anthems that are at once self-excoriating and intimately relatable
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7.3
120903
7.3 |
Beats Per Minute
Dogrel showed Fontaines D.C. could make a great post-punk album; A Hero’s Death shows they have more than sub-genre affiliation on their minds
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7.0
120907
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
After turning heads on their debut, Dogrel, last year, the post-punks flirt with psychedelia and echoey guitar while their singer stands his ground
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7.0
120851
7.0 |
Loud And Quiet
Ultimately, A Hero’s Death can be defined by the title track and its definite list of rules for self-prescribed happiness. Though faced by much bloated expectation, its surreal mantra for success is a convincing argument that this is a band hellbent on delivering on the hype, rather than succumbing to it
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7.0
120919
7.0 |
All Music
Although A Hero's Death does suffer from repetition and a lack of literacy, it remains a fun enough; the mistakes it makes won't deter existing fans of the band, although it doesn't display anything new or exciting enough to propel Fontaines D.C. to any new heights
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7.0
120952
7.0 |
Under The Radar
It is missing the stable spine that gave the band’s earlier work such distinctive character, and their repetitious, two-dimensional songs bring the overall package down. Still, when the band is at its best, Fontaines D.C. delivers an irresistible cocktail of post-punk storytelling
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7.0
120953
7.0 |
Spectrum Culture
Moodier than its lauded predecessor, the Dublin punks’ sophomore album is a confident step forward
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7.0
120981
7.0 |
The Quietus
A Hero’s Death forges enough distance from the recent past to reveal what could feasibly be a band on the cusp of earning their well-worn braggadocio
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7.0
120926
7.0 |
No Ripcord
A Hero's Death is not about growth: it's a band assessing where they stand as rising up-and-comers and having the impulse to express themselves differently
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7.0
120928
7.0 |
PopMatters
Fontaines D.C.'s A Hero's Death is the follow-up to the acclaimed Dogrel, and it features some of their best work - alongside some of their most generic
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6.0
120969
6.0 |
Upset
Some singalong moments wouldn’t go amiss
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6.0
120923
6.0 |
The FT
The Dublin band’s tendency towards the propulsive and often somewhat doomy is accentuated on their second album
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