If their last CD only stung a little, then By God would be like wandering into a whole slew of hornet nests over and over again. After taking in the whole CD, I felt drained. It's basically This Might Sting a Little cranked up to about eleven (if I can steal a line from This Is Spinal Tap): hard, slamming, intensified rhythms, thick and meaty (not to mention hook-laden) guitar riffs, and vocals that would peel the chrome off of a tailpipe.
Okay, maybe I had a split-second of doubt with the opening "Yee-hawwww!" on "By God", but the visions of coveralls (that don't quite cover all) and cowboy hats melted away when the song kicked in, and I knew the boys crafted yet another fine piece of groove-laden hard metal. Again, I would have to make some comparisons to Skid Row's Slave to the Grind, but somehow By God puts the Jersey band's finest release to shame. Big time. Now, I do want to point out that Disciple does flirt with the rap-core genre a bit on "God Of Elijah", but with the heavily God-centered lyrics, I can forgive them.
Speaking of the lyrics, one would have to be really, really out of it to not know of Whom the band speaks. By God is, as always, evangelical and praise heavy in that area. Aside from the opener "By God", the next track, "Not Rock Stars", lays it out as to who the band is: "Servants of the Most High, not rock stars / New creatures in Christ, not rock stars." There's no way this band will ever be accused of ambiguous meanings. Other picks for me here: "God Of Elijah", "Blow The House Down", "Whiny Britches" (that's a fun one), "You Rock My Socks Off", "Sick And Tired Of Being Sick And Tired", and "Rich Man".
I'm very impressed with the way that Disciple doesn't hold back on both the musical sides and their worshipful sides on their songs. By God is truly a testament to submitting all to God's glory.
9/10
Other coverage for this album
Art for the Ears 2001Reviewed by Marco PovervestDisciple's third full-length is By God. Their music is a heavy mix of groovy metal and rap-like vocals. It's not at all like rapcore. The foundation this band lays down is a metallic one. It's groovy. And besides rapping there is also a lot of normal singing, like in Can't Breathe. Disciple is also a band on a mission. Their lyrics are plain and there are even short liner notes telling what each…Dead Zine 2001Reviewed by the ProjectOk By God by Disciple is pretty much like This Might Sting a Little. Only this album has twenty-two tracks. It actually got a little harder and it worked more with me. Some tunes got a little punk/core with all that groove I know you love. This disk has something else. MORE EDGE! It dropped a lot of the glam Guardian stuff I hate. I liked this album a lot better than the other. The bass and…HM Magazine #86Reviewed by Doug Van PeltEgads! This album is 77 minutes long! Are they trying to be Saviour Machine? Actually, the music from this trio has never sounded more metal. While their breakout debut, My Daddy Can Whip Your Daddy, conjured images of Rage Against The Machine with its well placed guitar snippets and rap vocals, this band has steadily reminded its listeners that their roots and allegiance remain in the heavy side…Similar sounding releases
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