The first thing I will address is the fact that song by song, this review could turn to an 8 or even a 9. Why is it not? Well, the album with all songs included is very monotonous and will usually be turned off or zoned out before the middle of the cd.
This album has very tight and extremely good musicianship and holds high potential for the band and their future endeavors. However, the songs kind of mix together and meld like staring at a finished wicker basket. You may say, "wow, this is crafted well" but you're not gonna sit and stare at a stupid basket for an hour long (this will hereby be known as the wicker basket complex). There are songs that meld together but should be stood apart from the rest. Asphyxiate, Destructive Patterns, Ashes, Passover... these are all good songs.
Well, really I would have to say... this album has very good songs put together without variety and we find the reason a good producer and mixing engineer are important to an album's success.
Lyrically, this album stands apart from other albums in the Christian market in that it has well-written 'Christian' prose. These lyrics are not emotionless and are not un-educated. Yet they still all focus around one base... and that base is never coming close to the good-ness of God and Christ. All right here and now, I'm gonna go to bat with what D_lister and others would call "good Christian lyrics". The problem I have personally with these types of lyrics are really only two things:
a: It makes the person seem as though they have no opinions and the only thing that exists in God (concentration on God is good... so is meditation... but dislocating from the world we live in is not right)
b: Isn't it kinda cliché? "lord you are worthy" and "you died for me" are kinda the same thing... "your grace and majesty" and "I'm weak you are strong" are kinda the same thing. These lyrics as well as other 'Christian' metal bands are selling praise music with a hard beat. Is there a problem with that? Well, no. But what I want to challenge you the reader with is this: are these lyrics enhancing your relationship with God? Or are they an alternative to lyrics that detract you from God? Hmm? Are the lyrics you used to allow bad for you... thus these are better... or are these lyrics actually doing something for the everyday metal Christian?
so... there's my general stab. I don't want to bash the band or the music or lyrics. I do enjoy this album to a degree... but if you want metalcore, buy Uplifted. Also look for new Mindrage coming out. While I may not think this album is the greatest, it's worth a listen and so is anything they put out. So my order of metalcore albums to buy: Uplifted, Living Sacrifice: The Hammering Process, Mindrage.
7/10
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #79Reviewed by Ben MengdenPlease don't think these guys are brand new or copycats. They're not just jumping on some tech metal bandwagon. These guys have been playing hard for quite a while. It's nice to see their album in print. The word "splitting" comes to mind. The album is very fast with lots of break-ups, cyclical guitar riffs. Strong on every position (drums, bass, guitar, vocals) and very heavy in each as well.…Bandoppler 1999Reviewed by John SantThis CD pleasantly surprised me. When I heard about the new Mindrage album, I didn't pay too close attention. They were coming out on a label that isn't known for their hardcore products, so I didn't think twice about it. I decided to get it on a mere whim and was greeted with a solid album. Musically, Mindrage has the hardcore thing down. They know how to lay down heavy riffs, coupled with…Dead Zine 1999Reviewed by GrindboySolid grinding metal from the Midwest. Ya gotta love it! At the most basic, I'd describe Mindrage as sounding like Living Sacrifice covering an Erase song. Really, the sound is very similar to LS's Reborn, but without all the off-time odd-meter stuff. To the average listener, I guess, this pretty much means that you can go ahead and bang your head on the first listen and you won't look dumb in…Similar sounding releases
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