Corpus Christi - A Feast For Crows - Review

Among the many valiant Christian metal bands infiltrating the secular realm, there is Cincinnati-born Corpus Christi. Having been signed into a five records contract with Victory Records, they have a long road ahead of them to build and refine their style. But apart from being set for several years to come, this contract offers a perfect opportunity to shine through to the curious and unbelieving masses. Their steadfast message hasn't changed since their first album, but you can expect quite a difference musically from their sophomore, A Feast For Crows.

"I am the Cornerstone. I am the Great Physician. Separating marrow from bone. I am the King of Glory. Who was and is and is to come. I am the way, the truth, the life, Almighty Holy One." The tracks are all separated into two extremely different topics. Half of the songs accuse and judge our world, as corrupt as it is. "All hail the shrine to the apex of self-absorption. All you kings will be made low." But in the remaining tracks, they admit to falling short of God's expectations and plead forgiveness. "I am…the product of all the bad choices I've made." "Here I am. Can You make me whole again?"

It's a plain and understandable plea. When we realize that we are "not strong enough to stand beneath the shame of betrayed redemption," we can call on the Jesus' forgiveness. In A Feast For Crows, CC takes a more visceral approach. They vocalize each song as if the rapture was upon the writer of the lyrics. The broken have God to purify them, but the unsaved have only to be consumed by the world.

Now for the massive warping in their music: replacing four members in a five piece band takes a hefty toll. Guitarist/vocalist Jarrod Christman is the only survivor of CC's purge, yet I am still a little surprised that A Feast For Crows didn't turn out even farther from The Darker Shades of White than it did. "The Red Horse Is Upon Us" is a little slow to start, but soon enough "A Portrait of Modern Greed" shakes up the speakers with an onslaught of blast beats. The movement upward on the brutality scale is evident; the only remaining quality is the clean vocals that have transferred over from their first album. Unfortunately, these are CC's weakest quality at this point.

Before the end of the second track, excellent drum control and spectacular guitar finger work take the reigns. No new ground is broken, but that doesn't have to stop anyone from having a good time. Fluttery shredding and brick-heavy breakdown beats wipe away all thoughts of CC's previous sound. Tracks like "Little Miss Let You Know" and "Monuments" speak with a new kind of power that out shines the predictability of The Darker Shades of White, while "Broken" implements a passionate pendulum swing from face-breaking chugging and gut-wrenching screams to bright clean vocal choruses. Of course a bouncy breakdown dead center doesn't hurt either.

Among other improvements, Corpus Christi has found a comfortable formula that keeps each track interesting. Not a second is left bare, and repetition is rubbed out almost flawlessly. Plain chugging quickly meets breakdowns, while full anthem choruses are decorated with highly welcoming guitar solos. "Blood in the Water" is a metal monster constructed around the "horrible watery death" motif that hardly ever goes wrong. Though earlier in the album, the clean vocals were slightly off tune, here they start finding their place. A hair-raising build up leads to another crushing breakdown/guitar solo duet which plummets headlong into "Invictus," which pounds and destroys once more before "(Seeing You Again) For the First Time" trickles out the rushing flow of energy. The decreased tempo would usually call for softer instruments, including clean vocals, but it seems even more appropriate when paired with vicious vocals instead. The final track, "Shepherds in Sheep's Clothing" sets the stage for a massive end to the album. Thrash and blast beats get the extremities moving, but more guitar solos, more breakdowns? I say to you, there is no better way to go out than in violent flames and adrenaline.

A Feast For Crows is certainly a step in the right direction for Corpus Christi, but because of the huge lineup change, they've almost had to start from scratch. All that considered, this is a sophomore album that surpasses by far The Darker Shades of White. The musicianship has taken great strides forward, but overall, it still lacks anything new to contribute. With quality quite improved, I should hope that their next album will see a more unique sound. Fans of As I Lay Dying and War of Ages may have their plates full already, but if you're new to metal and you want something with real Christian passion, by all means give A Feast For Crows your attention.

Artist: Corpus Christi

Album: A Feast For Crows

Release: July 6, 2010

Label: Victory Records

Length: 11 tracks: 42 minutes, 42 seconds

Rating: 3/5

Originally posted on Jesus Freak Hideout.

Haste the Day - Attack of the Wolf King - Review

Dear 2005, this is 2010. We are sorry to inform you that Haste the Day is dead. In their place has formed a new and completely different band called Haste the Day. Though this band's line up includes former Haste the Day bassist Michael Murphey, I assure you, there are no similarities between said bands.

If the Haste the Day that you know and love has Jimmy Ryan for a vocalist, you are stuck in the past. With the introduction of Stephen Keech as vocalist in 2006, HtD's whole musical regime has been warped. Changes were made: some good, some bad, but the old HtD was gone forever. With 2008 came the departure of two more members, lead guitarist Jason Barnes and drummer Devin Chaulk, replaced by Dave Krysl and Giuseppe Capolupo, respectively. With the band's fourth album, Dreamer, they were still struggling to pin down their new sound, and then a loss by way of guitarist Brennan Chaulk left bassist Michael Murphey as the only original member. As such a drastic line-up change, this has had a profound impact on HtD's overall sound, which is why Attack of the Wolf King is undoubtedly the farthest thing from classic HtD that has yet been composed.

The gap between Dreamer and HtD's new album is nearly as dramatic as that of When Everything Falls and Pressure the Hinges. But with much toil and a boat load of new ideas, they have finally found a post-Jimmy sound that works quite well. To be quite honest, I was disappointed when I first heard new tracks from the album on HtD's Myspace page about a month ago, but hearing "Wake Up The Sun" filled me with unmistakable intrigue. The chugging drums and guitar, and Keech's newly gruffed-up screams showcases the new level of weight that they have employed, and Krysl's electric guitar squiggles with a completely unheard of voice for HtD.

With the first track already voyaging into all new waters and building hype most effectively, the eerie and ominous "Dog Like Vultures" takes center stage and surprised me even more. The harmonized chorus singing of old has been swatted away to bring forth an overhauled set up for clean vocals. New rhythm guitarist Scotty Whelan now joins Murphey in singing. New voices bring a new pitch, a much higher pitch. Occasional excursions into breakdown badlands are so far sparse, but "The Quiet, Deadly Ticking" bumps up the energy a few notches with a verse of hardcore beats and swings through a contagious clean chorus before igniting a hot box of breakdown and slithering guitar to warm up your bones.

If you weren't yet convinced that classic Haste the Day is gone, "Travesty" wipes away any lingering delusions. But the sullen, haunting tones and winding guitars numb the pain of loss. It's high time HtD is considered a separate band than the one you listened to five years ago. That's nothing to antagonize the new HtD, only to press a point.

I dare say Dave Krysl's guitar style has me chasing thoughts of Oh, Sleeper at several points throughout the album, the way his blistering fingering wraps and decorates the double kick and vocals in a sparkly gleam. In "Merit For Sadness," I begin to see the value of recent drummer Giuseppe Capolupo. He revisits some of HtD's old ways of building breakdowns with patterns that are oddly timed and hard to read, and then he adds his own persona to the cocktail with fluttery, snare-heavy fills. Keech's vocals peak in "Un-Manifest." The weak and flowery singing that he attempted in Pressure the Hinges is now dead and gone, and his skills at mid and low screams have improved even since the last album, becoming an entirely new level of menacing.

"The Place That Most Deny" seems to be a place of bent chords, bass drops, and gnarly breakdowns. The transitions to singing are perfect. They flow so comfortably from the villainous verses, as if the focus is turning from anger to truth. Guest vocals from Micah Kinard match with the new guitar tones impeccably as well, pleading to the listener with a sudden urgency. "White As Snow" is the resident ballad. Musically, the track is hard to listen to all the way through. Low chords dominate, but clashing vocals echo through and lay down an odd effect. The track never gets very interesting, and drags on for too long. "Crush Resistance" bursts onto the scene none too soon. This is a fast, barrel-chested track. After it has slipped under your feet, it impresses with force where the innovative gang vocals in the chorus could have done the same with creativity. And traces of a build up are whispered through most of the track's second half before the great hands of a dark, sluggish breakdown thrust you directly into "Walk With A Crooked Spine." The transition is completely unnoticeable.

The chords implore you to continue listening, and they do a great job. If I wasn't enjoying the album so much, I would have recognized "My Name Is Darkness" as the final track. And as it opens slowly and ends early, Attack of the Wolf King is over as quickly as it began. Fortunately, the finale is fairly epic (immersed in gang vocals screaming the track title), and ends appropriately. You were probably hoping for more after this, but unless you want to hear a terrible Black Eyed Peas cover in the deluxe edition, you're out of luck.

With such a unique name as Attack of the Wolf King, it is no surprise to learn that it is a concept album. It tells of a herd of sheep protected from a pack of wolves by righteous lions. To open with "Wake Up The Sun," a group of individuals (the sheep) are running from an unnamed threat, but feel that their "hearts are empty." "We've tried to run, but it's no use and all this time we've reached the point of desperation." With "Dog Like Vultures" comes the arrival of the lions. "Our eyes are upon you and we will protect you, be assured no fang will breach your fleece." This story can be taken as a basic analogy of our weakness, and Jesus' willingness to protect us. In "Travesty," the sheep proclaim their praise to the lions, as we to our Savior, "With love that the blindest eyes will see, you cover the darkest part of me."

The Christian metal scene has known few bands as resilient as Haste the Day. Since the departure of Jimmy, they have taken a rough ride that most bands would not survive, but they marched on. Even when they struggled to find their sound, they kept the faith. The significance of Attack of the Wolf King is tantamount to the quality of the album, and though the sound that Haste the Day was conceived in has gone, the persona has stayed the same. Further still, by warping the different styles that their previous two albums have presented and adding in quite a few new features that come naturally with new personnel, Attack of the Wolf King is without a doubt a new high for Haste the Day and a potential Solid State album of the year.

Artist: Haste the Day

Album: Attack of the Wolf King

Release: June 29, 2010

Label: Solid State Records

Length: 11 tracks: 38 minutes, 23 seconds

Rating: 4.5/5

Originally posted on Jesus Freak Hideout.

Parkway Drive - Deep Blue - Review

What happens when a band turns quite a few heads with their first signed album? Well, apart from enduring the seething jealousy of lesser artists trying to make their way, they do their very best to write a follow up album that impresses even further. So what happens then when that same band writes one of the most intimidating and musically jaw dropping sophomore albums that metalcore has to offer? According to Parkway Drive, they name that album a masterpiece and move on to record another that sounds different. Amazing feats were achieved in Horizons, insane guitar solos and ingenious breakdowns and so on, but instead of entertaining vain attempts outdo to themselves in that same style, the Byron Bay boys have undertaken a brutish new sound for their third studio album, Deep Blue.

Upon first terms with the new album, the band seemed to have become extremely shy of creativity, opening shortly with a very typical breakdown, and following with the previously revealed new song “Unrest”. The purpose is clearly to queue avid listeners into the new brutality that is Deep Blue, but is at most a collision of several cookie-cutter breakdowns. With initial impressions sagging my excitement a bit, “Sleepwalker” emerged in a hyper new form that Parkway Drive has never taken before, deploying a catchy guitar riff teamed with a steady kick beat. As it lulls into concaves of sluggish beatdowns, it does well to rear back into full speed and offer a fantastic harmony of string mastery and powerful vocals.

Where Horizons was a sinister and spear headed creature, Deep Blue is a much more hulking beast. The music relies heavily now on massive chords and steady drumming. Ben Gordon parallels his drums to Jeff Ling and Luke Kilpatrick’s guitars more so than ever, creating a stronger bond and a fuller sound. “Wreckage” is a beautiful example of this. The teamwork of the instruments accented by Winston McCall’s guttural vocals exemplifies a well oiled machine working at full capacity.

“Deadweight” carries a hopeful ambience in its folds of intensity. The blistering speed continues at full throttle until a marvelous breakdown, and I continue to gasp in awe at the fortitude of McCall’s ridiculous vocals. They have been a mainstay in Parkway Drives music, and continue to be as he gains experience and variation. “Alone” does finally relax the album a little bit. Though mostly uneventful, it has its moments of aspiration and serves as a worthy monster of a ballad. “Pressures” opens a little strangely, but soon instigates a rampage of breakdowns, thrash beats, and background guitar solos. The riot spills over into “Deliver Me”, which gets sincerely circle-pit-dirty at times, and tweedles a few guitar strings in pretty harmonies. But the breakdown that follows the excruciating build up in the middle of the track is commenced by such an epic scream; I dare you not to bang your head. This is definitely my pick for best moment of Deep Blue, contending with the notorious end to Horizons’ “Boneyards”, “there’s blood in the water.”

The party continues into “Karma”, which is opened by Ben Gordon’s chance to really show off, but if I may say so, McCall’s vocals are exceptional as well, dropping on a dime to a range of different pitches. “Home is for the Heartless” now slows thing down a little bit with frequent doses of docile gang vocals and a guest appearance of Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion, and experiments in touches of pop-punk influenced metal, which seems to be gaining a foothold in heavier bands. “Hollow”, I think, takes a page out of PD’s first album, Killing With a Smile, basing on breakdown beats and hardcore influences, especially when adding in more guest vocals from The Warriors’ Marshall Lichtenwaldt.

I never felt like the album ended properly, but that’s just me. “Leviathan I” passes in generally the same fashion as the majority of the album, but the final track is so short and sudden, the ending feels unnatural. While both tracks are impressive, there was no tone of farewell. In fact, “Set To Destroy” pumped me up even more than the previous tracks. Though Deep Blue clocked in at an impressive 45 minutes, I still wanted to hear more.

Parkway Drive hooked a lot of people into fandom with their first release, then impressed the crap out of a lot more with their sophomore release, but now their ambition stands that they cut a new path for themselves. To disappoint me, Deep Blue doesn’t have any of the unprecedented guitar solos like Horizons did, and the breakdowns are slightly less inspired in my opinion. To impress me beyond reason however, it does dive into a deeper pool of brutality than they have in the past and the musicianship and teamwork that they now practice has built up a new standard for metalcore. I am not convinced that Deep Blue is written quite as well as Horizons, but differently and certainly more professionally. It has earned from me a steady 4 out of 5 napkins.

Artist: Parkway Drive
Album: Deep Blue
Release: June 29, 2010
Label: Epitaph Records
Length: 45 minutes, 5 seconds
Rating: 4/5

MyChildren MyBride - Lost Boy - Review

In 2008, MyChildren MyBride took hold of our attention and bombarded our keen ears with straightforward, breakdown-heavy metalcore. It was a good platform to begin upon, but most of their songs sounded the same. The majority of their notoriety as well erupted from their “show song” “Headshot”. After several years of touring building up a fan base, the Madison, Alabama quintet has finally moved on to their sophomore album. Taking their time was a wise decision though, and thoroughly understood, as there is always tremendous pressure on follow up albums. This is the peak that they have to scale to achieve any future success. They started out well, but now Lost Boy has the expectations of the fans to deal with.

Slowly, the raging beat of “Terra Firma” creeps up to its full speed and volume. The guitars begin to chug in an odd, growling tone that is much the same as their previous album and the drums chime slowly at first, with a contrast of double kick spurts at blistering speeds. But the track strolls on, introducing MCMB’s new endevours in confident guitar chords and premium bass drops scattered throughout, ending in a slow and sinister breakdown.

“Hooligans” shoots out at a similar tempo to its predecessor, but throws caution to the wind with catastrophic gang vocals breaking out in chorus, “We are the lions!” And it becomes clear in just a few minutes that MCMB’s liberal use of breakdowns has not halted to any degree. But to kick off the first real exploration into new territory, “King of the Hopeless” rips onto stage front and center. Robert Bloomfield and Daniel Alvarado have gotten much more creative with their guitaring, carrying them much like Darkest Hour, dark, melodic and energetic. Very different vocals open the track, followed by a fast, thrash beat and on and off guitars. The song is just dripping with honest passion and encouraging guitar chords, contrary to the title, especially in the wonderfully vocally driven breakdown. It’s so brutal, but slaps a smile so hard onto your face you just want to throw down in hugs.

Matthew Hasting kicks up his vocal variety a notch this time around. There’s a touch more emotion in his yelly screams as well as control between higher and lower or throaty and “umph” growls. “Crimson Grim” takes MCMB to another place they’ve never been, adding much more intricate riffs and beefing up their breakdowns to sound less dry and overlong. As in Unbreakable, half their material was breakdowns that held very little personality. His time there’s more than just a slow beat and a few low chugs.

Actually, with the opening of the title track, you start to realize that there are probably even more breakdowns than before, but they are placed behind more music rather than as empty interludes. The lead guitar spews out fancy songs of its own and Hasting’s vocals blanket most of the music, but well camouflaged breakdowns play the backbone of the song whenever there isn’t a sporty blast or thrash beat under chord choruses. They have discovered that adding vocals to a breakdown is an ever-effective method of hiding it from general attention.

Song after song though, you can expect at least one prominent breakdown in each track. The end of “Dark Passenger” is particularly gruesome. “Digital Rebirth” is the sugar rush of the album, never slowing down between its dark undertone intro, its toe-tapping anthem chorus or its sporadic blast beat verses. The energy in the vocals carries over into “Redeemer”, but the drums morph into hardcore mode. Partnered with the upbeat melodies and gang vocals, it’ll have you moving fast and grinning wide. “Nuclear+” is a vicious monster that drags you in with lightning fast beats and endless screaming, then devours you with a thunderous breakdown powered by Hasting’s tempo chasing barks.

You’re in for a real surprising treat from “Lungs Full of Water”. It begins way off of MCMB’s usual niche, chiming a lot closer to something like As I Lay Dying. Streaming into their own style again for a little while, a crushing breakdown kicks in before the beat changes back to hardcore and gang vocals once again. At times, it sounds very reminiscent of Unbreakable’s “Headshot”, but then ends somewhat abruptly. But waiting just over a minute, a very sullen musical transition occurs, which opens up slightly, but remains for several minutes as a solemn conclusion to the album. Throughout, we hear several sound clips amongst the music starting with the shuffling of feet to a man speaking to someone, urging them “not to move.” Further on, there is a haunting bustle of children’s voices, lockers opening and closing, footsteps up a staircase, and finally – silence.

The Unbreakable sound is certainly still here, but very wisely improved upon. The band has recognized their flaws and fixed them just about as well as would be expected in a model sophomore album. Lost Boy is a prime example of healthy progression, trying new things but retaining the sound that grew their fan base in the first place. Their constant dry breakdowns tired me out in their first album, but instead of reducing them, they made them much more palatable and entertaining. Each member has clearly improved and experimented with their specific instruments, adding a lot of good little things into the mix with great big things. Releasing a sophomore album is risky business, but MyChildren MyBride’s confident and high energy performance in Lost Boy has catapulted them safely over the mountain of expectations and well past the line of concern.

Artist: MyChildren MyBride
Album: Lost Boy
Release: June 8, 2010
Label: Solid State
Length: 11 tracks: 40 minutes, 43 seconds
Rating: 4/5

Originally posted on Jesus Freak Hideout.

As Hell Retreats - Revival - Review

Facedown’s boot camp label Strike First Records has gained a promising new death metal group by way of As Hell Retreats that will likely shake things up for fans of anything outrageously heavy. After releasing an EP each year for the past four years, the Hendersonville, Tennessee five-piece has unleashed a downpour of demolition and unrestrained fervor in their debut full length release, ironically titled Revival.

The “Intro” track sets the mood admirably, ransacking the immediate area with an incredibly destructive breakdown. Unfortunately though, “Inferior” opens with a short stacking of blast beats, which gave me an immediate first impression of repetitiveness that so many bands use to sound overly heavy. After this however, the overall sound becomes much more diverse, specifically in the area of vocals, set down by Jackson Greene. They impress at a wide variety of levels from high, guttural screams similar to The Agony Scene and low death growls. Though not extraordinary, the guitars of Blake Hardman and Tyler Riley certainly play their part. Creativity is still present despite. A healthy sprinkling of squeals and high tone flourishes in between brutally heavy riffs and half-beat chugging keep the song very interesting.

The sound as a whole is very intense. It’s probably one of the heaviest good bands in the Christian scene. Facedown is lucky to have them. In “The Holy Thief”, while the music is woven together well, the drums alone are the weak point of the music. All of Trent Davenport’s drumming is appropriate, but the performance is slightly less than par. At some points, it is clear there is some trouble with the timing. It’s not immediately noticeable, but he would benefit from some more practice before the band’s next recording.

The entire album follows a strong form that has been set by the band, which in itself deserves credit, as too many groups play inconsistently. The transitions from timing changes could also use some work, but again, this is only a minor problem. The short semi-solo in “Raze” fills in cleanly, but the drop from blast beats to otherwise is slightly rocky at times, making it hard to grasp the cohesion of the song. By “Resting With Closed Eyes”, the album starts to sound a little too consistent, risking repetitiveness. For those of you who believe in the salvaging powers of a good breakdown though, each new song continues to satisfy. “Messengers” does more to spice up the flavour, adding in fun hooking riffs that don’t usually appear in death metal. Times like the end of the track also showcase guitar skill that shows up too seldomly.

For a short break from the intimidating pizzazz of the previous songs, take a nap to the title track. It’s your standard surprisingly flowery instrumental interlude that breaks down your hype so that “Poor God”, the final track, sounds even heavier than it is. The fact that the album ends after such an inspired ninth song upsets me a little. Considering that As Hell Retreats has released four EPs before this, I would have expected a full length album longer than 27 minutes.

Revival is a superbly written, face-breaking, volume-cranking monster, but the sound mix is less than professional and the band performance could use some improvement. With opportunity to tour with more experienced bands and time to knock up their skills a notch, As Hell Retreats will likely produce well-deserved praise in the future. And it was entertaining enough that the brief length disappointed me, so fans of Upon A Burning Body, Veil of Maya, or Salt the Wound should be thrilled that a group like this has entered the Christian metal mesh.

Artist: As Hell Retreats
Album: Revival
Release: May 25, 2010
Label: Strike First Records
Length: 9 Tracks: 27 minutes, 4 seconds
Rating: 3/5

Originally posted on Jesus Freak Hideout.

To Speak of Wolves - Myself < Letting Go - Review

The widespread success of Christian metal is surprising to say the least. Considering the Christian community`s general reaction to metal in its inception, I doubt anyone will say they saw it coming. At any rate, a vast majority of bands at the forefront have sprung from the versatile Solid State Records. Supplying the likes of Demon Hunter, Gwen Stacy, and The Chariot, the label has always kept a varied roster. There`s something for everyone. Whether you call all of it metal or not, any fan of loud music will find something they enjoy. Filling in the cracks of all metal sub-genres seems to be their latest quest, having recently signed As They Sleep and To Speak of Wolves to expand their range yet further. But for now, we can focus on the former Greensboro, North Carolina group, and their debut full length release Myself { Letting Go.

The catchy chorus that opens “Darkness Often Yields the Brightest Light” very quickly gets me excited for a fun album. And that’s just what Myself { Letting Go is. It’s a fun album that is built on obvious characteristics from bands like Underoath and Saosin, but it warps them with new colours that make an enjoyable experience. The first big compliment that I have to give is how well the music is all mixed. Nothing is too loud; nothing is dominated by a louder instrument. To start, there’s a very crisp scream over low, chord-dominant guitar, but in the chorus, one of the guitarists takes the role of melodic stringsman. Then the noise subsides for an early bridge of silky singing and slides effectively into another hammerdown. TSoW seems to know something about how to transition neatly. Instead of dropping into a clean section immediately after a heavy crunch, they take baby steps from Sound A to Sound B.

The thing with TSoW is the trouble of pinpointing where to place their sound. It’s easy enough to call them metal, but they do things a little differently. The style they’re playing is nothing new; plenty of bands have done it before, but each little piece is played slightly off kilter. The guitars are a no brainer: low growling riffs and ugly chords. But then the ugly chords are strangely melodic, though this is comparable to Underoath. Fine. But the drums don’t match. There are no breakdowns or blast beats, and the tempo never gets much faster than the occasional jump on the second kick pedal. It’s not just a matter of an unskilled drummer though. Phil Chamberlain conjures a lot of lightly oddly-timed or unconventional beats that make up for the speed and power of a general metal drummer.

Moving on to Rick Jacobs, an exceptional vocalist, providing what is easily the piece of TSoW that most differs them from other similar projects. He is responsible for all of the vocals on the album, which frankly baffles me. The clean vocals in nearly every track sound as if they came from a different person than the last. So he has a fine clean vocal range, which is strange since his screams are fairly limited, but the best part is how he uses it. It’s easy to predict a melodic singing section coming, however, the melody always comes out much differently than is expected, causing an almost ghostly impression that catches you off guard. The choruses of “You Should Have Locked Your Doors Days Ago” and “Dimming the Light” are marvelous examples of this. The heavy areas of their music aren’t all that unheard of. It’s the unorthodox melodic tones in the mild areas that set them apart. Yet at the same time, if you took out the metal, the music would not survive. The two must be together to complement each other so effectively.

“White Dress, Red Letter” comes out as a very interesting track. It opens up a little typically with an overused drum fill, but once the chorus swings around, I felt a quiver in my spine. And the piano added near the end is quite haunting. The eerie melodies they piece together aren’t all their own, but are nevertheless difficult to write well. Myself { Letting Go is by no means a bright album, but there is confidence in the music. “Quercus Alba” is the oddball of the album. The first half of the track hosts an old ragtime vocal ensemble featuring Underoath front man Spencer Chamberlain (brother to drummer Phil Chamberlain) that honestly sounds like something Jonezetta or Showbread would come up with. It could say a lot about future experiments the band may attempt in their music.

To Speak of Wolves is a band that spreads out their deepest emotions in their music. They play the kind of music that can be enjoyed more than most, unspoiled by ulterior ambitions. While it`s no magical formula for a brand new metal style (which will likely never be found), To Speak of Wolves certainly carries a flavour that Solid State didn’t previously offer. And just as a band in the midst of all others similar to it, it`s fairly original to its kind. Fans of Underoath, Saosin or Burden of a Day should agree with Myself { Letting Go, but if you want specifics, then anyone digging Destroy the Runner`s I, Lucifer should appreciate TSoW even more. It may be an acquired taste, though I encourage multiple listens before final judgment is called.

Artist: To Speak of Wolves
Album: Myself Letting Go
Release: May 18, 2010
Label: Solid State Records
Length: 10 Tracks: 33 minutes, 42 seconds
Rating: 4/5

Originally posted on Jesus Freak Hideout.

Wrench In the Works - Decrease/Increase - Review

Artists signed to Facedown Records have an unfortunate tendency of being overlooked and underrated. Please turn your attention to Hartford, Connecticut quartet Wrench In the Works: brutal. If you haven’t heard them yet, it’s certainly not because of your speakers. Since their Facedown debut, Lost Art of Heaping Coal, in 2008, they’ve been ripping up stages and shattering eardrums nationwide. Now they’ve come to finish off what’s left of our hearing with their sophomore release, Decrease/Increase.

Borrowing influence from bands such as Living Sacrifice, Zao, and Extol while stewing in specialized elements of hardcore and thrash creates a truly rugged, uncategorizable beast. If it has a clear, singular genre, the music is played too fast to tell anyway. Let’s try to break it up, shall we? The opening track, “Vultures”, showcases the album from a wide view with some accuracy. The drums attack at blinding speeds and overpower with help from bolstered yet incomprehensible mid range screaming vocals. The guitars still manage to shine through the seams though, weaving between blast beats and thunderchugs at every open opportunity.

Half way through the track, the pace slows considerably, playing on the benefits of a secondary approach. In the end it comes out sounding something like The Famine or American Me, or even Advent with more direction. Still, it’s definitely not without originality.

“Project Ak-47” forcefully takes a minute and a half of your life and ambitiously replaces it with breakdowns and timing changes that stay effectively entertaining, though it seems to mostly play as filler. We see this again in “Pocket Watch” and “Vows (I Must Decrease)”, both very short tracks with limited effort attached. “A Desert Voice” however, opens quite uniquely, with some anxiety building rim-sticking from drummer Andy Nelson. The drums seem to cry for extra attention on the album. Not only by way of the recording, as they are some of the best drums I’ve ever heard, but incredibly clean fills and bass beats throughout. Special attention is given to the perfectly tuned toms as well; more than I have heard from most other drummers. These accompany a haunting monologue to end “A Desert Voice”.

“DeathSlayer” is one of the varied tracks on the album, retaining its originality. Tyrannical chord progressions and more technical drum beats prevail over speed and power. They don’t allow any piece of their tracks get stale either. As in “Hearts and Masks”, multiple timing changes keep the song interesting. “Gethsemane” provides one of the most musically intense tracks present on the album. Although it follows the same stifling speed and timing changes of other tracks, the guitars chime and boast their contribution more so here than in other songs.

Melodic guitars in “Walk Amongst the Tombstones” throw another curve at the grasp you may have thought you had on this album. As much as Decrease/Increase seems like other one-trick metal albums, it is persistently variable. Impressive, yes? But then the final track appears all of a sudden. Facedown calls it a “full length” release, but it is painfully short, clocking in at just under half an hour. Naturally though, at the speed the songs are played, longer can hardly be expected.

You may not be able to tell from the style of vocals, but this album is passionately driven by zealous lyrics. Like other metal albums carrying a similar message, Decrease/Increase speaks about a corrupted world. “The harvest of the earth is ripe, and the sickle will swing.” “We are all just a brood of vipers who’ve been warned of the axe at the root of the tree.” Not a particularly encouraging album, another strong theme is the Death of Jesus on the Cross, accenting the pain he went through. “A ready heart broken by grief.” “The execution of an innocent man.” But the silver lining is present. They encourage to “Strengthen your heart. Let their world fall apart.” “Blessed are the Steadfast.” Ultimately, we must remember that we are not of this world, and so we “must decrease, so that He may increase.”

“Vows (He Must Increase)” ends the album with instrumental flare, showing off the band’s ability to be outplayed by their drummer yet again. Decrease/Increase holds a lot of promise for WItW. It’s original, but not so much that it isn’t well written. It stays entertaining all the way through, and short length aside, it plays on a lot of metal basics and should appeal to anyone looking for a good, loud time. It’s an honest effort from a talented group.

Artist: Wrench In the Works
Album: Decrease/Increase
Release: March 16, 2010
Label: Facedown Records
Length: 11 Tracks: 29 Minutes, 7 Seconds
Rating: 3.5/5

Originally posted on Jesus Freak Hideout.