Back in familiar territory with Tooth & Nail Records, Project 86's fifth album seems to balance its time between settling into an established feel and poking into some new directions. The disc's overall sound seems to blend traces of its two predecessors, Songs to Burn Your Bridges By, and Truthless Heroes, being slightly reminiscent of both, yet fairly unique in some sort of unexplainable, subliminal way.
The quality of the album's lyrics remains at the rather high standard Andrew Schwab set for himself early on in the band's career. Whether poetic and somewhat veiled or up front and straightforward, these are words worth paying attention to and considering. The vocal delivery is arguably better than ever, feeling both tighter and more versatile. There is a significant amount of melodic singing here, which may seem a bit odd to old fans, but it is simply too good to think negatively about. In fact, the mellower songs of the album, such as "Something We Can't Be" and "All of Me" are actually really catchy.
Similarly, the musical side of things is also what one has come to expect from Project. Every part is well written and clearly and expertly executed. On a technical aspect, the band seems to have taken to using unconventional time signatures with this album. Unless I miss my mark, "Necktie Remedy" repeatedly switches between two time signatures at several points throughout the song, one of which is actually rather unsettling (in a good way). When considering that there are not really too many bands willing to use such techniques, this is actually a fairly daring move on the band's part which demands no small amount of respect.
Amidst all this praise, though, it must be noted that, as a longtime Project fan, "...And the Rest Will Follow" just feels odd somehow. My knee-jerk reaction was "Hey, this sounds a lot like Truthless Heroes." After a more careful listen, the similarity seemed less clear, and traces of Songs... started to show themselves. Quite honestly, it feels like the album tries to find some sort of middle ground between the two, but does not quite make it. Perhaps it is simply a matter of personal expectations gone awry, but the album as a whole just does not totally live up to its predecessors. It is almost there, but a touch shy of the mark. Nevertheless, this is a really good album that definitely deserves your time.
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis November 2005Reviewed by Peter VenessAfter five albums Project 86 remain a conundrum - they are unapologetic about their faith but they should occasionally apologise for their music. On this occasion they should raise their heads just a little. Project 86 have always toyed dangerously with concepts of faith in alien worlds, sometimes it has worked very, very well, as in their best album Truthless Heroes but, the but is significant,…The Phantom Tollbooth 2005Reviewed by Jonathan AvantsProject 86 has become a well-oiled machine; with the release of ...And the Rest Will Follow, they've pumped out their slickest, most consistent material to date. The new songs lean slightly towards the melodic, but the alternative/hard-rock sound the band has touted over the past few releases is not sacrificed. The songs are still epic, head-pounding, and wrenchingly brutal musically and…The Phantom Tollbooth 2005Reviewed by Bert GanglGiven the varied nature of the band's back catalog, it is hardly surprising that debate currently runs rampant over which Project 86 record constitutes the Orange County foursome's defining work. The self-titled debut and sophomore outing, Drawing Black Lines, were of a piece with the energetic, rap-metal workouts of artists like P.O.D. and Rage Against the Machine. The group followed with…Similar sounding releases
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