Rough Around The Edges, Razor-Sharp Where It Counts: Fault of the People - Get A Grip (Track Review) Released: 9/26/25
Not every band gets to announce themselves with a perfectly produced debut single. Some bands announce themselves with something rawer, something more honest and sometimes that's the better introduction. Fault of the People, the Athens, Michigan metalcore outfit known for their explosive blend of brutal screams, beautiful clean vocals, driving bass lines, and soaring melodic riffs, chose the latter. "Get A Grip" is rough, unpolished, and completely unmissable. From the jump, the track does exactly what you'd want a metalcore demo to do: it grabs you by the collar and doesn't let go. Vocalist Alexis Grubb delivers screams that are visceral and unrelenting, carrying the kind of genuine aggression that can't be manufactured in post-production. This is a band that lives in this music and you can feel it in every second of the recording. There's no safety net here, no studio wizardry smoothing over the rough patches. What you hear is what they are, and what they are is a band that means every single note.
But what separates Fault of the People from the crowded field of heavy acts is what happens when the storm breaks. The clean vocals arrive like a breath of cold air, melodic and emotionally resonant, and the layered harmonies that Grubb and bassist Emily Barnett build together give the track an almost anthemic quality. It's the kind of contrast that separates good metalcore from great metalcore with the ability to hit hard and then pull you somewhere completely different without the transition ever feeling forced. Fault of the People navigate that push and pull with a confidence that belies their demo status. There's a maturity to how the song breathes, how it knows when to explode and when to let the melody carry the weight. The rhythm section is the backbone holding it all together. Barnett's bass lines have real presence here not buried in the mix the way they so often are in early recordings, driving the song forward with a groove that keeps things feeling urgent even in its heavier, slower moments. Locked in tight with drummer Joseph Ward, the low end hits with a weight and intention that a lot of bands in this genre overlook entirely, treating it as an afterthought rather than a foundation. Here, it's anything but. The rhythm section is a weapon, and it's being used deliberately.
Guitarists Christina Rigel and Richard Blankenship deliver on both ends of the spectrum. The riffs crush when they need to crush being thick, down-tuned and sitting right in that sweet spot between metalcore aggression and pure heaviness and they soar when the song opens up into its more melodic passages. The melodic work doesn't feel like a concession to accessibility. It feels earned, like the payoff after surviving the heavier sections. Together, Rigel and Blankenship bring a dynamic range that hints at a band who think carefully about songwriting structure, not just sonic punishment for its own sake. Does the "rough demo" tag show? Sure. There's a rawness to the production that a full studio session would eventually smooth out. But honestly, that roughness works in the track's favor more than it works against it. It gives "Get A Grip" an authenticity that a lot of heavily produced metalcore singles lose somewhere between the recording booth and the master file. You feel like you're hearing a band in the room with you, not a product engineered for algorithmic playlists. In a genre that can sometimes feel overly polished to the point of sterility, there's real value in hearing a band this unfiltered.
For a group that has already been building serious momentum, grinding through Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio on the live circuit, locking down a slot at Michigan Metal Fest in 2026, and with a full debut EP in the wings, "Get A Grip" serves as a compelling and urgent appetizer. It plants a flag. It says: we're coming, and we mean it. Known for their high-energy performances and a genuine connection with their fanbase, Fault of the People have been doing the work that matters most at this stage of a band's career: showing up, playing hard, and building a loyal following one show at a time. That road-tested energy translates directly into this recording. You don't get a performance this committed from a band that hasn't been putting in the reps. With their debut EP set to roll out later this year, "Get A Grip" is just the opening shot.
But what separates Fault of the People from the crowded field of heavy acts is what happens when the storm breaks. The clean vocals arrive like a breath of cold air, melodic and emotionally resonant, and the layered harmonies that Grubb and bassist Emily Barnett build together give the track an almost anthemic quality. It's the kind of contrast that separates good metalcore from great metalcore with the ability to hit hard and then pull you somewhere completely different without the transition ever feeling forced. Fault of the People navigate that push and pull with a confidence that belies their demo status. There's a maturity to how the song breathes, how it knows when to explode and when to let the melody carry the weight. The rhythm section is the backbone holding it all together. Barnett's bass lines have real presence here not buried in the mix the way they so often are in early recordings, driving the song forward with a groove that keeps things feeling urgent even in its heavier, slower moments. Locked in tight with drummer Joseph Ward, the low end hits with a weight and intention that a lot of bands in this genre overlook entirely, treating it as an afterthought rather than a foundation. Here, it's anything but. The rhythm section is a weapon, and it's being used deliberately.
Guitarists Christina Rigel and Richard Blankenship deliver on both ends of the spectrum. The riffs crush when they need to crush being thick, down-tuned and sitting right in that sweet spot between metalcore aggression and pure heaviness and they soar when the song opens up into its more melodic passages. The melodic work doesn't feel like a concession to accessibility. It feels earned, like the payoff after surviving the heavier sections. Together, Rigel and Blankenship bring a dynamic range that hints at a band who think carefully about songwriting structure, not just sonic punishment for its own sake. Does the "rough demo" tag show? Sure. There's a rawness to the production that a full studio session would eventually smooth out. But honestly, that roughness works in the track's favor more than it works against it. It gives "Get A Grip" an authenticity that a lot of heavily produced metalcore singles lose somewhere between the recording booth and the master file. You feel like you're hearing a band in the room with you, not a product engineered for algorithmic playlists. In a genre that can sometimes feel overly polished to the point of sterility, there's real value in hearing a band this unfiltered.
For a group that has already been building serious momentum, grinding through Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio on the live circuit, locking down a slot at Michigan Metal Fest in 2026, and with a full debut EP in the wings, "Get A Grip" serves as a compelling and urgent appetizer. It plants a flag. It says: we're coming, and we mean it. Known for their high-energy performances and a genuine connection with their fanbase, Fault of the People have been doing the work that matters most at this stage of a band's career: showing up, playing hard, and building a loyal following one show at a time. That road-tested energy translates directly into this recording. You don't get a performance this committed from a band that hasn't been putting in the reps. With their debut EP set to roll out later this year, "Get A Grip" is just the opening shot.
Each release promises to showcase the band's evolving sound as a dynamic mix of crushing heavy tracks and high-energy anthems while staying true to the raw emotion and intensity that first drew listeners in. That balance is a difficult thing to maintain as a band grows and refines their craft, but based on the evidence here, Fault of the People seem to understand what makes them special and have no intention of letting it go. If the rest of the EP hits with this kind of energy that is refined and fully realized in the studio, Fault of the People aren't just a regional act to watch. They're a band with genuine breakout potential, and "Get A Grip" is the kind of demo that makes you want to be ahead of the curve before everyone else catches on.
Go give "Get A Grip" a spin:
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