This thing is huge! Five cds, each with 20 tracks. Thanks to some connections at the record store I was able to get it for only twenty dollars. I certainly got my money's worth as far as the amount of music goes. However, there is a recurring problem amongst these Tooth and Nail samplers. All the songs on them are taken off other cds. This problem was addressed in the review of Songs From The Penalty Box. Well, when I looked on the back of this box set, I saw names of bands I like such as Strongarm, Blindside, Zao, Living Sacrifice and pretty much any other Tooth and Nail band you can think of. This instantly grabbed me. I expected some new songs from some of my favorite bands but no. Instead, once I had purchased it, I discovered that Tooth and Nail simply took one track from each Tooth and Nail release and stuck it on here. What a let down, although Blindside does have a previously unreleased track which is pretty good. I think we all know what bands we like and what bands we don't like from Tooth and Nail. If you have all the cds from Tooth and Nail you like, don't you dare waste $30 - $40 dollars on this set. You will feel ripped off. However, if you are just now discovering Christian hardcore stuff and aren't sure about what bands you like yet, this cd is worth getting. It will probably save you some money in the long run so that you don't buy cds you don't like. I'd say that I probably sit about halfway between those two cases. I discovered some old Tooth and Nail bands that I kinda liked but also just got copies of the best hardcore stuff. Bands I hadn't taken the time to listen to were bands like Bloodshed, Sometime Sunday, and Rob Walker's (of Wish for Eden) solo project. The bands I was planning on getting but hadn't up to that point were Innermeans, Warlord, Frodus and Blindside. Once I get those releases, I will just be buying doubles. When it comes down to it, the only people that are going to enjoy this cd are the people with no Tooth and Nail cds. If you have a lot of Tooth and Nail stuff, save your money.
5/10
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 1997Reviewed by Josh SpencerAs the sun dropped on 1993, I gazed out over the vast, empty desert of edgy Christian music. A few hardy metal bands and adventurous alternative outfits toiled away, but it didn't look good. And then...a cloud of dust began to billow in the distance. It was Brandon Ebel starting the indie label Tooth & Nail Records, signing a multitude of seriously authentic punk, hardcore, and alternative bands…
