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4.5/5 | Posted March-09-2012
The self-titled debut album by relatively new band Pioneer offers 11 tracks (plus 1 instrumental track) of fun pop punk sounds and honest sincere vocals that usually take similar bands a couple of albums to acheive. The sound of the band is not particularly innovative and comes off as a bit standard for the genre but it's fun nonetheless. The lyrics are also not really heavy hitting as they feature themes that have been done before but the way lead vocalist Josh Randolph sings them, with honesty and sincerity, makes it seem relevant to people. This is the true highlight of the album.
Pioneer may not be the most innovative band out there now but the album does contain some moments of brilliance that I haven't heard on any other album this year. This is one of the strongest debut albums to come out in the past couple of years and I hope the band continues to make this kind of music for a good long time.
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2.5/5 | Posted March-08-2012
I guess I'm just not into CCM becuase I found Kutless's latest album a bit of a disappointment. Aside from the few good rock songs, the album just sounded really generic. Jon Micah vocals are the real highlight of the album and give it a little more credability. I just hope that Kutless can go back to the sound that was present on Hearts of the Innocent for there next album. As it stands now, it's a fine album if you are into this kind of music but as for me, it's a bit too generic and a bit disappointing.
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3.5/5 | Posted March-02-2012
Fireflight's latest album, Now, is styled in the same vein of previous albums For Those Who Wait and Unbreakable. It has a radio-friendly rock sound, has only 10 songs, and sounds almost exactly the same. That's not to say the album is bad, it's actually pretty good, but I just feel like the band needs to take a chance and experiment with a different direction. Like I stated before, Now is a pretty good album. It has hard rock songs that get your blood pumping and soft ballad songs that make a statement. The album message of living in the now is a good one and resonates with a great many people.
Even though Now stylistically sounds like a generic rock album, it's a pretty good generic rock album. My only hope is that for Fireflight's next album they go in a different direction because the sound and style they have right now runs the risk of getting stale. But by all means take a listen to this album because there is a great deal of talent and effort put into this that it makes it worth the 35 minute length.
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4/5 | Posted March-01-2012
Heath McNease's new album, Thrift Store Jesus, explores a different side of the singer/rapper. This is probably his most mature album to date as there are no trademark silly songs to be found. Instead it's 14 tracks of great beats and strong lyrical content that explore a whole variety of issues pertaining to life. Thrift Store Jesus is a very different album to listen to if you've listened to Heath's previous works, so if you are expecting something along the lines of The Gun Show, you might be disappointed. But if you wanted to hear something new from Heath McNease, Thrift Store Jesus is a good exploration into more mature themes, you might be plesently surprised.
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4/5 | Posted February-28-2012
Sent By Ravens had quite a lot to live up to with their sopomore album, Mean What You Say, and thankfully, they meet those expectations. The production quality here is a noticable improvement over the previous album. Every insturment sounds better polished and every note that lead singer Zach Riner hits sounds clear amidst the controlled chaos of the instruments behind him. Speaking of polish, the band's sound has a bit more of it on this album. At times I was reminded of mainstream band Rise Against's sound as I was listening because it almost sounds like they are delving into that style of music and I kind of like it. The band should go in that Rise Against direction. It would be something fresh and would make them stand out from the other bands on the Tooth & Nail label. But now back to talking about the album. It's also lyrically stronger than their debut. The only two complaints I have are that the album is a bit too short, clocking in at 33 minutes. Part of the reason why that is is because some songs are a bit on the short side when they could have used another chorus or two. The other complaint I have is that there are only 10 songs here. I would have liked about 1 or 2 more songs to help flesh the album out a bit more but for what it is, Mean What You Say is a solid follow up that manages to improve everything. The band's sound has improved, the lyrics have improved, and the overall production value has improved. While the album feels way to short, what is offered is pretty darn good. Give this album a listen, I don't think you will be disappointed.
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4/5 | Posted February-27-2012
Australian duo For King and Country really make an impact on their debut album Crave. Their unique sound could be compared to the likes of Coldplay and The Fray. The songs on this album are memoriable in how catchy and unique they are. I would say that this is so far the strongest debut album for any band or artist this year. Take a listen to it if you like bands like The Fray or Coldplay.
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4.5/5 | Posted February-07-2012
New Tooth & Nail band Nine Lashes makes a statement with their label debut, World We View. Right from the get-go you are assaulted with huge guitar riffs, killer bass lines, and thundering drums and it dosn't let up until the soothing and down to earth final track. You can tell that they take some inspiration for their hard rock sound from such bands like RED and Thousand Foot Krutch but Nine Lashes manages to make it their own.
While some bands are leaning more and more towards a more radio friendly pop sound, bands like Nine Lashes are going the complete opposite direction and instead making hard hitting music that would give you some serious ear damage if cranked all the way up. World We View is a stellar label debut that makes you feel like metaphorically punching something in the face. (Don't actually do that. It would end badly for both parties involved.) This is one album that any fan of good hearty rock music should pick up at their local music store (or download from iTunes or Amazon if you're into that sort of thing,) next week.
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5/5 | Posted January-23-2012
Someone clearly forgot to tell the guys in Blessed By a Broken Heart that the 80's are over. It was a mistake well worth making as they bring us an album that is a whole lot of fun and nostalgic. Feel the Power takes us on a journey of a somewhat forgotten time when glam metal bands were popular. Everything about this album feels so 80's from it's synth sounds to the shredding guitar solos (brought to us by the aptly named Shred Sean,) to even the voice of frontman Tony Gambino, this album manages to capture that vibe and stick with it throughout the running time. Even the "ballads" on this album mantain that 80's vibe.
Feel the Power is an incredible album that not only manages to be a whole lot of fun, but it also manages to envoke a sense of nostalgia for the 80's. This is one album that is entertaining from it's killer start to it's adrenaline-fueled finish.
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4.5/5 | Posted January-07-2012
Paper Route is one of those bands that leaves an impact on you after you listen to their music. And on this, their debut album, they leave an impact alright. Their sound can be described as a mix of Coldplay's athmatic style of rock and Mutemath's experimental style. This makes everything you hear sound like it belongs there and was meticulously worked on until the band was satisfied with the results. The lyrics are deep and meaningful and also feel like they belong with the music. Absense is a great debut that shows off what Paper Route is capable of doing. Let's hope their upcoming sophomore album can keep the momentum up.
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3/5 | Posted January-04-2012
While the debut album from Satellites & Sirens sounded a bit similair to other bands in the genre, there was enough creativity to make me interesting in what the band could bring in the future. Unfortunately, that will have to wait as they serve up their sophomore album that is more of the same. The songs are still catchy and the music is fun, but the big problem is that it's generic pop punk. The second half of the debut album saw some potential with what Satellites & Sirens could do but that is not apparent here. Frequency is still enjoyable but for those of you yearning for some progression of sound by the band, you'll be sorrowly disappointed.
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