Saving Grace – Unbreakable
Jan 5th, 2009
Strike First / FacedownOver Tracklisting:
1. End of Days (Intro)
2. Unbreakable
3. Bury Me in Jimenez
4. The Disgusting Maw
5. Pukelips
6. Where It Rains
7. The Eye of the Storm Part II (Interlude)
8. Oaxaca
9. All, But the Archer
10. The Listener
11. Bound By Blood
12. The Determined Drunk

 Strike First Records come screaming into the new year with a stellar release from New Zealand natives SAVING GRACE. With a January 5^th, United States release date this disk is sure to warm your frost bitten fingers on a cold winter’s night. There is killer guitar work, something that is often lacking in hardcore bands, and the breakdowns are brutal. The album opens with a track title “End of Days (intro)” that made me want to jump right out of my desk chair and start my own private mosh pit right here in the office. Chants of “Faith, Family, Friendship, Forever echo as the disc moves to track two, “Unbreakable” which proves that SAVING GRACE is truly ferocious. As each track moves forward I find myself hitting the volume knob over and over again, inching it up to the max level that my computer speakers will allow. Good thing there is no one else here now.

Enoy,
Josh Drespling
www.KingdomExtremeMag.com

Flyleaf – Memento Mori
Flyleaf – Memento Mori
2009, A&M

1. Beautiful Bride
2. Again
3. Chasm
4. Missing
5. This Close
6. The Kind
7. In the Dark
8. Set Apart This Dream
9. Swept Away
10. Tiny Heart
11. Melting (Interlude)
12. Treasure
13. Circle
14. Arise

I’ve got to hand it to Flyleaf. They had a lot of commercial success with their debut album, but even with all the success they never compromised their Christian stance. It takes some brass ones to put out an album like this these days. It’s far bolder in terms of Christian themed lyrics than the last one. Take the first track, “Beatiful Bride” as an example: “Beautiful bride/ Body of Christ/ One flesh abiding/ Strong and unifying.” Their attitude seems to be, “Yeah, we’re Christian – deal with it.” I can’t tell you how much I respect that! Thankfully the music is backs up the lyrics just fine. Lacey’s vocals have improved even though she doesn’t do much growling, unfortunately. The band as really refined their sound into a swirling whirlwind of guitars and emotional, pleading hooks. They have a low end to their distortion that straddles the line between the crushing force of Korn and the groove of King’s X. Yeah… I said King’s X. If you’re not moved by the combination of music and lyrics in songs like “Missing” and “This Close” then you have no heart. That being said there are a couple tracks that I could have done without – I don’t even remember how “Circle” goes and for some reason I’ve never cared for “In the Dark.” I will also say that the production seems a bit on the noisy side to me but that could just be the speakers in my car.

Another thing I wanted to comment on was the album’s theme. The liner notes do not contain lyrics but notes from “The Commander” to the “Passerby Army” detailing their struggle with the “Dread Army” and his personal struggles with his daughter. It’s cool, creative, and well-written but I kind of wish they would have printed the lyrics too. Still, this is a great record. Hopefully it won’t take them four years to do another one!

Adam Sherwod
Adam’s iPod

Austrian Death Machine – Double Brutal
2009, Metal Blade

Disc One:
1. Double Ahhnold
2. I Need Your Clothes, Your Boots, and Your Motorcycle
3. Let Off Some Steam Bennett
4. Who Writes the Songs? (The Real Bomb Track)
5. It’s Simple, If it Jiggles It’s Fat
6. See You at the Party Richter
7. Hey Cookie Monster, Nothing is as Brutal as Neaahhh
8. Who Told You You Could Eat My Cookies
9. Come On Cohaagen, Give Deez People Ehyar
10. Who is Your Daddy and What Does He Do?
11. Come On, Do It, Do It, Come On, Come On, Kill Me, Do It Now
12. Allow Me to Break the Ice
13. Conan, What is Best in Life?

Disc Two:
1. Intro to the Intro
2. T2 Theme
3. Hell Bent for Leather (Judas Priest cover)
4. Time Travel: The Metallica Conspiracy
5. Trapped Under Ice (Metallica cover)
6. Iron Fist (Motorhead cover)
7. Recalling Mars
8. I Turned Into a Martian (The Misfits cover)
9. Killing is My Business…and Business is Good! (Megadeth cover)
10. Tactically Dangerous – Cannibal Commando (Goretorture cover)
11. Gotta Go (Agnostic Front cover)

I did not expect to like Austrian Death Machine as much as I did. For the uninitiated, Austrian Death Machine is a side project of Tim Lambesis from As I Lay Dying. I’ve never heard As I Lay Dying so I can’t say how they sound compared to this. But what I can say is that Austrian Death Machine is full throttle, fist-in-the-air, pounding thrash metal.

And it’s awesome.

The first half of the album is based off of various Arnold Schwartzenegger movies like Terminator and Predator. The Governator himself even chimes in here and there with “poignant” observations (like when he makes fun of Tim for his “cookie monster” vocal style). Of course, the biggest concern with a disc like this is that the comedy aspect would overwhelm the music and be nothing more than a fun novelty disc. I was pleasantly surprised that the music contained herein is really, really good. The first music track, “I Need Your Clothes…,” has an infectious riff with an equally catchy gang vocal. You’ll no doubt be head banging along belting along with them. The rest of the songs follow in a similar fashion – with some great face-melting leads thrown in as well.

The second half of the album is full of covers from bands like Metallica, Motorhead, and Megadeth. They’re pretty decent covers though the vocalist can’t actually “sing” at all which hinders him in songs with any melody whatsoever (like the Judas Priest cover). Still they’re really fun to listen to, and at the end of the disc I was a little overwhelmed with all the pounding but satisfied – like I’d just done some exercise or something.

While I don’t know if I’d want disc after disc of this, Double Brutal was a fun listen and the music itself is something you can go back to and enjoy after the “Ahhnold” bits have worn out their welcome.

Adam Sherwod
Adam’s iPod

The Crucified – The Complete Collection
2009, Tooth & Nail

I’ve decided that I’m not going to replicate the tracklist for this collection. Why? Because when they say “complete,” boy do they ever mean it. This three disc set (2 CDs, 1 DVD) contains every song The Crucified ever recorded, including two songs that were meant for the third album but never released. It would be too long a list so you’re just going to have to search for it on your own. Okay on to the music: It’s awesome. The first disc consists of the band’s first demo when they were still called KGB. It’s noisy and obnoxious. It reminds me, of all things, Lust Control. However, the first CD also has the Take Up Your Cross and Nailed demos. These are punk for the most part – pretty proficient punk if you ask me. There are some tracks, like “Seal Number Four” that foreshadow the band’s move to thrash. The mastering on Take Up Your Cross is pretty good for it being a demo. However, the same cannot be said for Nailed which is pretty noisy, which makes it hard to really hear the songs, let alone enjoy them. The tracks from Live at the New Order are similarly noisy. Despite my criticisms of the sound quality it’s good to hear how The Crucified got their start. The two newest songs, “Straining Life” and “Power of God” were supposed to be on the third album. “Straining Life” is okay but I honestly didn’t think it was anything special. “Power of God” on the other hand, is a blistering thrash tune that will remind you why The Crucified are considered legends in Christian metal scene.

The second disc contains both the debut CD and Pillars of Humanity in their entirety. The debut is a landmark crossover album combining punk, thrash, and hardcore into an irresistible mix that caught the attention of metal heads around the nation. Even Sonny from P.O.D. cited the band as an inspiration. Pillars was a bit centered around thrash than the debut. This edition has been remixed and it sounds amazing! On the old mix, everything was buried under Greg Minier’s monster guitar tone. Here, the mix is much more even – you can clearly hear the vocals and the bass. It makes the whole thing much more listenable and actually made me like the album more than I did when it came out originally.

The DVD is decent. It’s a collection of handy-cam shot concerts. The quality is poor but it’s nice to see what kind of show the band put on. The concert footage is interspersed with candid scenes of the band on the road, hanging out, recording the third album, etc. It’s nice to watch and reminisce but it’s not probably something you’ll watch over and over. I was watching it with my wife and she said, “You know, this movie makes all their songs sound the same,” and she’s right. Don’t use this to try to turn someone on to the band who’s not a fan already.

Also, the packaging is superb, with extensive liner notes and reflections from all of the band members. This is, without a doubt, the best retrospective of any band I’ve ever seen. It is worth the money, even if you already own both official albums.

Adam Sherwod
Adam’s iPod

Stryper – Murder By Pride
2009, Big3 Records

1. Eclipse For the Son
2. 4 Leaf Clover
3. Peace of Mind
4. Alive
5. The Plan
6. Murder By Pride
7. Mercy Over Blame
8. I Believe
9. Run In You
10. Love Is Why
11. Everything
12. My Love (I’ll Always Show)

A lot of people had problems with Stryper’s previous record, Reborn. I was among those folks but not for the reason you’d think. I didn’t mind the more modern sound, and while I did miss the vocal harmonies and the guitar solos I thought the songs sounded pretty good. My main problem with Reborn was that it seemed like I’d digested everything the disc had to offer in the first few listens. Thankfully Murder By Pride is a meatier offering and a step in the right direction for those fans who miss the old sound.

In fact there are a couple tracks, like “4 Leaf Clover” and “Murder By Pride” which perfectly meld the old elements of Stryper with the new modern style. These tracks are absolutely outstanding! Then you’ve got the cover-tune “Peace of Mind,” which is well done, and a couple other tracks that are more in the vein of Reborn like the album opener “Eclipse For the Son” and “Mercy Over Blame.” Everything stays in that mid-paced tempo, though, and it made me sort of miss the days of “Writings on the Wall” and “The Way.”

Worse yet, it seems to me like the second half of the album really slows down and is fairly uninteresting as a result. “I Believe” kicks off a series of songs that are the “quiet verse/loud chorus” songs and by the time I got to “Everything” I was just antsy to rock out. Luckily the album closes with two of the better tracks on the disc including a heavier version of “My Love (I’ll Always Show).”

It might sound like I’m really ragging on the band but at the end of the day, Murder By Pride is a solid offering that will definitely please longtime fans and hopefully bring some apostate fans back into the fold. I’m impressed to see what they’ve done here and am excited about what they could do in the future. If Murder By Pride is any indication, Stryper may once again be a rock force to be reckoned with.

Adam Sherwod
Adam’s iPod

CAGE – Science of Anihilation

The Band:
Sean Peck (Vocals)
Dave Garcia (Lead Guitars)
Anthony Wayne McGinnis (Lead Guitars)
Mike Giordano (Bass Guitars)
Mike Nielsen (Drums)

Website:
http://www.cageheavymetal.com/

Track List:
01 Intro/The Power The Feeds
02 Planet Crusher
03 Scarlet Witch
04 Spirit of Vengence
05 Black River Falls
06 Operation Overlord
07 Power of God
08 Speed Kills
09 Stranger in Black
10 Die Glocke
11 Spectre of War
12 Science of Annihilation
13 Edge of the Infinite

Here’s a description of the band’s music from a past review I found on their website, “CAGE, just the name implies the image of unbreakable steel and an inescapable trap. The perfect moniker for the heavy metal leader of the next phase of heavy rock music. Critics and fans alike have tried to label or classify this 5 piece group from the glistening shores of San Diego, California, with terms like “pure millennium metal”, “classic metal for the new age” or “modern day power metal”. Whatever you want call them, you should also add “contagious and infectious”, as they inspire people to continue to press replay when the cd is in their stereo, and “ let’s go see them again” when they play live.”

I would agree with that summation… This is “power metal” with a capitalized, underlined, italicized P!

This album grabs you by the throat right at the beginning with an eary sounding intro—it’s sort of sounds like one of those “end of the world” things… very gripping… and then they launch into “Planet Crusher” — a good name for the tune–it’s a power metal crusher for sure!

Here’s my bottom line on this album–every tune RAWKS! Every tune is packed with emotion, melody, aggression, power, skillfully played melodies… evocative and powerful vocals… really interesting lyrical themes… very epic in scope… Fans of power metal groups like, Rob Rock, Faith Factor, etc. will dig this album!

All of the members of CAGE are believers. While not every song is overtly Christian or biblical in its theme—some definitely express their faith and passion for God. Track 7, “Power of God”, has a lot of biblical imagery in it… speaking of God’s omnipotent power. All-in-all, these are just hard rockin believers singing about life… good stuff!

Power Metal Fans–This one’s worth tracking down!

Metal Blessings,
pb
www.guitarjams.net

Thresher – Here Am I

The Band:
*Steven Bowan- Drummer (poser)* *David Kurtz – Bass/ Keys* *Rod Braun – Guitar* *J.Mark Buchanan – vocals/guitar* *Jeff Newman – 1st Drummer* *Greg Yarbourough – 2nd Drummer*

 Track Listing:
1. Sanctuary
2. Faith Awaken
3. Amazin Grace
4. Here I am
5. Altar of Sacrifice
6. Death to Asherah
7. Raptor
8. One Way Out

One reason the guitar work may be so appealing to me is that this album was actually recorded in the late 1980s! That’s right—you can read the full story on the Thresher myspace page here: http://www.myspace.com/godsthresher. It’s a pretty amazing story. Here’s are some summary thoughts from the myspace page. This album was recorded in the late 1980s, at a point in Thresher’s history when they were garnering a lot of attention from both fans and labels. They went into Lifeline Studios in Pennsylvania and recorded “Here I am” live—with reportedly very few overdubs—this would account for the great “live feel” that the album has… very raw and natural. I must say–if the “very few overdubs” thing is indeed the case—my respect for Thresher just shot up a few notches! The musicianship is excellent!

Unfortunately—the band was unable to hold it together—and not long after “Here I am” was released they broke up—the struggle to balance band and personal/family life became too much—which I can appreciate. It is a very tough thing to balance the two. While I’m sad that Thresher is no longer with us as a band—I’m glad they chose healthy personal and family lives over band success. Of course I’m especially thankful that God used Thresher to create this marvelous collection of metal songs for us before the disband!

In case you’re wondering why this album just now came to the surface and is being promoted at this time—I would again refer you to http://www.myspace.com/godsthresher – it’s all there.

Couple of the Highpoints:
1. The guitar work is killer.

2. The whole album has a great live vibe.

3. There’s not a bad song on the disc—this is an album you can play from start to finish and enjoy every cut! If I had to pick favorites—I would lift up “Here I am”, “Altar of Sacrifice”, and, while I’m not a “rap fan” (at all) I gotta admit that “Raptor” is a killer tune… when you hear it you’ll see what I mean.

4. The production is great—especially when you remember that this thing was recorded live—with reportedly very few overdubs.

5. The lyrics are fantastic—Very edifying and Christ-centric.

Fans of Metalica, Megadeth and 1980s thrash in general will LOVE this album! You can track it down at
Roxx Productions: http://www.roxxproductions.com/Home.html

Metal Blessings,
pb
www.guitarjams.net

THIEVES AND LIARS “American Rock-n-Roll”
BAND MEMBERS:
Corey – guitar
Joey – bass, vocals
Kyle – drums, vocals

 TRACK LIST:
1. American Rock-n-Roll
2. Let’s Rock
3. Walking by my side
4. Fight Song
5. Till the walls fall down
6. Killed a man
7. Promised Land
8. Revelation
9. Prodigal Son
10. Charlie Love it! Love these guys!

This is quintessential American Rock-n-Roll! Killer riffs… groovin’ rhythms that you can’t help but move to… raspy vocals… attitude… a message that’s, Christ-centered, straight from the heart, and belted out with a truck-load of passion… yup—this here is genuine American Rock-n- Roll, the way it’s supposed to be played – LOUD –n- PROUD! Their one-sheet says this about them, “Placing a modern twist on a classic sound San Diego based Thieves and Liars blend blues and rock-n-roll to bring new life to a stagnant rock scene.” I couldn’t agree more.

I would LOVE to see these guys live. As you listen to the album, you can just tell that Thieves and Liars would absolutely KILL live! I gotta say it again, there’s just no way you can listen to this album and not want to crank it up, grab your airguitar and rock out! I’m actually having a hard time typing this right now… I just wanna get up and move!

On their myspace page http://www.myspace.com/weareallthievesandliars, they list, “head banging, loud amplifiers, mustaches, the delta, and denim” as their influences… and trust me—this is an appropriate list!” I hear hints of Tesla, early AC/DC, early Guardian and even Tempest with Jamie Rowe on vocals. It’s raw, loud, hard-hitting… for me—it’s just fantastic!
The musicianship it top notch. The production is spot on. The vibe—I just can’t get over it—it’s freakin awesome! The song writing, while rooted in the oldschool of the 70s and 80s, is fresh and very, very well done. There’s not a bad cut on this album. You can put this thing on, kick back and take rock-n-roll fantasy! Fans of any of the bands I mentioned above—YOU NEED TO PICK THIS ONE UP!

myspace.com/weareallthievesandliars

Metal Blessings,
Pastor Brad
www.guitarjams.net

Family Force 5’s Christmas Pagent
Following the form of the remix album the group released this summer the band hands out another set of filler songs. This album is a collection of synth pop with excessive amounts of auto-tune effects. Family Force 5 has successfully taken an innovative band with energy, creativity and catchy tracks and boiled it down to third rate, teeny-bopper pop songs. This album is a disgusting departure from the sound that made this band the force they are (or where). Honestly this album was quite difficult to listen to. I had to make great efforts to get through the full songs and resist the urge to hit the skip button. On top of all that there really is no Christmas cheer or feeling here.

Why do bands insist on ‘reinventing’ inventing themselves? Can you name one band who has done that after achieving success and came out better on the other side? Additionally is there anything more laughable than a Christmas album, it will tarnish any career and sure signal that a group is cashing in on there way out the door.
I know were are a Christian publication and should be positive and up lifting, but the only saving grace is that you may read this review and save your hard earned money. Maybe it will go down better in late December when the snow begins to fly, and Christmas is in the air, but in early October, on a 65 degree day it just doesn’t work.

INHALE EXHALE – Bury Me Alive
Just when one begins to believe that every band sounds like the next and music is becoming boring and lackluster, at a time when originality and passion get buried beneath marketing and internet spam. You get slammed in the face with a release that tears the lid of the conventional and reminds you of all the amazing reasons you ever began to fall in love with music and the industry that surrounds it. I present for your listening pleasure just such an album . The newest release from Canton, Ohio’s Inhale Exhale. This album is one of the most exhilarating and re-freshing releases I’ve had the pleasure of listening to in years.Some would say it leans toward hard-core, some to metal, even argue that it has some screamo influence, but I honestly call it pure audio ecstasy. The combination of front man, Ryland Raus and guitarist John LaRussa approaches perfection. The duo along coupled with Gator (Christopher Carroll) and Greg Smith, round out the line-up for this the third release from Inhale Exhale and proves that this young band is force to be reckoned with in both the Christian market as well as the mainstream.

Oct,6, 2009 : Solid State Records
www.myspace.com/inhaleexhale
review by: Josh Drespling

PILLAR – Confessions

Next up I the ballad(ish) “Whatever it takes” with a strong message and vocals on the chorus and hook. The rest of the album follows suite, until you hit “Shine” a cover of the Collective Soul classic. Its bar band bad. When you do a cover you should make it your own and put a personal twist to it, but this is an attempt to copy exactly that falls flat on it’s face. If I wanted to hear this song I would just plop in my Collective Soul CD. Sorry guy, you fail on this track. Only up beat to the track is the cool scream near the end.

With the nasty taste from the previous track in my mouth nothing else on the album caught my attention. Filler, filler, filler. Download the first two tracks and call it a day.

HAWK NELSON – Live Life Loud

THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH -Welcome to Masquerade

SKILLET – Awake