Love Letter Kill Shot (Deluxe) Review| Posted September 21, 2020
What You Need To Know Disciple's 12th studio album, Love Letter Kill Shot, released in 2019, is one of the band's best albums. It has enough experimentation and innovative sounds to be fresh, but plenty of familiarities so as to not push away their fans. NewReleaseToday even nominated the album as one of its We Love Awards Rock Albums of the Year for 2019. After plenty of positive reception and fanfare, the band has decided to release a deluxe version, simply titled Love Letter Kill Shot (Deluxe). The deluxe edition features three new songs: "Darkness Dies," Enemy," and "Kingdom Come."
What It Sounds Like Each new song fits the album's sound perfectly. They have the same overall vibe that the album carries, yet each is distinct in their own right. "Darkness Dies" begins with an electronic, faded vocal intro, leading straight into the melodic opening verse. It doesn't take long before the energy ramps up in the emotional chorus. The song has a solid riff throughout that keeps it tight. Not to mention the riff expresses the passionate music we all love Disciple for. It's not a song you would normally expect, but, on the Love Letter Kill Shot, it's a great fit.
"Enemy" is a barnstormer of a song. It begins full-throttle with deep, heavy bass accompanied by captivating drumming. Lead singer Kevin Young's uses a unique sing-scream method for most of the song (it sounds great and matches the song's darker mood). Speaking of darker mood, there is some distortion in parts of the song that greatly adds to the overall sound. "Enemy" almost never slows down: the impressive guitar solo about two-thirds in proves this fact. Disciple rocker Josiah Prince's guitar solo is arguably the best he does on the whole album, especially with its placing in the song.
"Kingdom Come" opens with an instrumental that almost sounds like a breakdown in a metal song. Kevin aggressively opens the first verse with powerful vocals. The chorus is more melodic than the last, but not as much as "Darkness Dies." Disciple uses skillful instrumental transitions between melodic choruses and the fierce verses.
Spiritual Highlights If you've listened to Disciple, you know that their 20-year reputation is respected for good reason. As fantastic as their musical prowess is, their lyrical content is nothing to ignore either. Each new song offers a message that pierces the heart and mind.
"Darkness Dies" carries a unique perspective of the Gospel that we often forget. Kevin sings, "I'm not your savior, I'm just a man/And I'll let you down if you give me the chance/But I'll give you something/I can show you the light, till the darkness dies." We are not the ones to save people, but we point to Him who can.
"Enemy" is a darker, more vulnerable, song, much like "Panic Room" and "Misery" previously heard on the album. Kevin sings a gut-wrenchingly honest message of admitting we are often much worse people than we want to believe. He cries out, "I have fallen so far that I've finally scared myself/I'm falling in my own hell/I'm falling, deliver me from myself."
Lastly, "Kingdom Come" is about how "There is so much reality/More than I see and I'm feeling," as Kevin sings. The song is an outcry to God to let His Kingdom of Love become more evident in our world. It is truly an eternal truth that we should join in singing out, "With your heaven on my lips/Let me love like You love/Let my war turn to pieces of You."
Best Song For me, "Kingdom Come" takes the crown. The head-bang-inducing intro immediately captures my attention and the relentless verse of convicting lyrics hits me straight-on. The vocals relax just enough in the pre-chorus so the listener can accept the much more melodic chorus of truth. The musical transitions in the song are exceptional. In all its musical excellence, the song's arrangement is wrapped in a message of love.
Bottom Line Given how much fans have been touched by some of the beautiful ballads from Disciple, it would have been nice to hear a new, heartfelt ballad. Regardless, Love Letter Kill Shot (Deluxe) is an even more remarkable album by Disciple that will undoubtedly be known as one of the best Christian rock albums in the modern era.
to add lyrics if not listed.
