OK this Stronghold is from the great state of North Carolina and their album The Cry of a Martyr is to be classified as (and I really hate this term for some reason) nu metal and possibly metalcore at times but not usually getting that intense.
This is a really good album that took me some time to get used to. Mainly I had to get used to the vocalist's main scream. The vocals change quite a bit, from this scream which at first didn't seem very good but the more I listen to it the more I think it really fits this band, to a simple spoken/shouted vocal, to rapped vocals. Yes I said rap. They do a good bit of rapping in fact. In addition occasionally a second vocalist will join giving a different screamed approach.
Musically this band is very interesting, sounding to me a bit like a combination of say Godsmack's heaviness, with a few Korn type effects once in awhile, and some wandering guitar parts like Staind, and some mellow grooves like POD. Keep in mind that this band sounds nothing like any of the aforementioned bands but I can easily see them as being in their list of influences.
This is an independent CD put out by the band and I don't know of a website for the band so finding it might prove a bit difficult. I picked it up at a show they were at for $5.00 and I consider this a major steal as it's 10 songs and just under an hour long. The lyrics are usually pretty long for each song as well, as these guys have a lot to say. Only their instrumental track dares to drop below the 5 minute mark with most of their songs closing out around the 7 or 8 minute mark.
This is a great band, with a great first album, and I'm very excited to see how on fire they are as well. No song on this CD can be anything but a full on Christian song. This one is for fans of any of the above mentioned bands, and any other aggro-metal bands that lean toward the heavier side of things.
9/10
