Rock On
Posted March 26, 2008
By Nathan,
A year after X 2003 (experience the alternative) comes the sequel: X 2004 17 Christian rock hits. The newest installment features seventeen (plus one bonus track) songs, which is sixteen songs down from the previous thirty-four track album, full of a perfect blend of rock, rapcore, and hip hop... wait wasn't this supposed to be a rock CD? Well it is for the most part.
The compilation begins with Skillet and their song "savior", which aside from being a great rocking song, has some good lyrics too. Kutless throws in "treason", a good rock song that has a few rough beats but evens out with some incredible lyrics. When it comes to "one phemon(remix)" the remix is harder (and better), so give tobyMac a hand for his rap fused rock song with a awesome bridge. And without Thousand Foot Krutch it just wouldn't feel like a Christian rock completion; we have no idea what "rawk fist" means but it sure sounds hard.
Wiped clean of the usual pop/punk act Relient K gives us a rock song with some good lyrics on "I am understood". The album takes its first fall from FM Static with their punk song "Definitely Maybe", while it's good punk it doesn't really belong here. "Bring me down" by Pillar is very heavy (no screams though), and KJ 52 reaches the collection with "rock on", which is rap/rock (emphasis on rap). Audio Adrenaline's "worldwide one" lacks a real rock song, but "running through my mind" is good rock by Big Dismal. "Freedom to feel" is a great song lyrically but John Rubens sound just doesn't feel (pun intended) right for a rock album.
The next two songs "land slide" and "poor man" (by Seven Places and Plus One) are not highlights on X 2004, but they are solid. It takes a little stretch to put Superchic[k] on here, but with a strong message and a great rap bridge it sneaked aboard. Tait makes it with "numb" which is good, and Jeremy Camp's rock song is in the form of "stay". "Crash" by 12 Stones is a very god rock song. The bonus track "livin' it" by the Cross movement is really a harder rap song, which is probably why it's the bonus track.
X 2004 17 Christian rock hits improved from the '03 version by raising the bar, this time only a few song made it on the completion that shouldn't have. But it's a strong release with a lot of good rock hits, as long as you don't mind the occasional rap and light rock tunes.
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