Oh yeah! Do you need your wallpaper or stucco ceiling removed? These boys get the job done! Like any good band in a genre with the root word "core" in it (as in rapcore), you almost expect spit to come flying out of the speakers. These nice boys from Arkansas sure play some mean tunes! Those of you who totally dig the common ground between P.O.D., E.D.L., Project 86, and Disciple (at least in a few songs), must give some overdue props to Spoken. While having more than four members might spell too much aural traffic for a band so dependent on the groove, these five craft tight and heavy riffs that stay in sync. While I liked Spoken's debut, On Your Feet, this one sounds like more care was taken in the recording. The sounds are beefier and stronger. The man behind the production helm was none other than Jyro Xhan. Anyone who had doubts about this man's knowledge of the heavy riff will be forever silenced with this record. There is a cool departure in the song "Fly With Me," with cameos from Jyro and K2S, offering some rap to the core. There's even a wild cover of the classic "People Get Ready, Jesus Is Coming." You've never heard it like this before! Imagine the shock you felt the first time you heard Unashamed attack "Awesome God." This will prepare you for the chorus to this song. The guitar tones in this cover, and the song "New Life" are dripping with that psycho sound found in bands like Korn and Prong. Tunes like "When I Fall" have the whole arresting start/stop thing down. It's hard to imagine which band member here will have the most fun with this material live. No one will have a problem finding the groove, that's for sure. It just slams over and over again with the precision of a machine, but with the passion of a real human being. Spoken has arrived with this album. Be afraid. Be very afraid. According to the imaginary hard music book I keep nearby, Metro One hasn't had something this good under its umbrella since the reign of Precious Death. This album will rock your world.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Joe RockstrohSka is dead. The latest trend in Christian music is rap-core. Helped in part by the continued melding of rock and hip-hop by the mainstream market, band after band is following this trend. New bands are getting quick label deals, and established bands are getting label support. Spoken released their second album in the midst of this trend, for better or for worse. The resemblance to Rage Against…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Josh MarihughSpoken's sophomore effort What Remains invites even more comparisons to Rage Against the Machine than their debut did. While the band may not cover any new ground musically, it's nearly impossible not to admire a band as lyrically upfront as this: "Just touch me, so I can see/Your power, Your glory!" Spoken makes it undeniably plain: They are hardcore for Christ. Intense, if somewhat predictable;…Similar sounding releases
1998KornFollow the Leader
Every Day LifeDisgruntled
2000TravailBeautiful Loneliness
2001Saved By GraceFor What You Have Done
2000Theocracy A.D.Strength of Many
1997Bad Little DuckFull Color Inside
