Christian Rock OBSESSION

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  This week is just full of awesomeness, if you ask me.  Turkey day tomorrow, a ton of sweet deals the next day, and officially being able to listen to Christmas music without upsetting people for “starting too early.”  And to top it off, here’s an update.

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Speaking of Christmas music, Deas Vail will be releasing a four-song Christmas EP titled For Shepherds & Kings on November 29 (next Tuesday).  The EP includes the songs “Do You Hear What I Hear,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “Coventry Carol,” and “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”  I’m no expert, but I’m thinking they’ll do an awesome job with this.  Also, don’t forget to check out dates for their Christmas tour, which you can find here.  

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Onto a totally different note, Demon Hunter has announced the release of a deluxe edition of The World Is A Thorn, due out on the same day as Deas Vail’s EP.  It will have one cover song and four acoustic tracks, in addition to the rest of the record.  Hopefully those songs are on iTunes so we all don’t have to buy the album over again, yeah?

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For all of you Owl City fans out there, pre-orders for Live From LA begin November 29th as well.  You can pre-order it on iTunes and have it for when it releases digitally the week after, on December 6th.  If you want to wait for a hard copy, set your eyes on February 7th.  It’ll also be on Blu-Ray, if anyone’s interested!  You can watch the trailer by clicking here.

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Last (but definitely not least), Five Iron Frenzy has made a pretty big announcement.  They’re back together!!!  And to make things even better, their new album is more than 200% funded, according to Kickstarter.  That is unbelievable.  For more info, click here.

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That’s all for now!  Enjoy your turkey!

This is an interactive trailer for Demon Hunter’s The World Is A Thorn.  You can select to A) watch the album trailer, B) listen to the album in it’s entirety with lyrics, or C) watch the music video for “Collapsing.”  You can do that last one here on Christian Rock OBSESSION since I posted it, but I suggest taking advantage of the full album stream… unless you’ve already bought the album.  And if you haven’t, I’m sure the stream is only for a limited time, so what are you waiting for!?

The fifth album of the revolutionary Christian metal band, Demon Hunter, was promised to be heavier and more melodic.  We hear that promise all the time with metal bands, but rarely do they deliver on that promise.  Well, I believe that The World Is A Thorn is exactly what it was said to be.  But it begs the question—is heavier and more melodic better?

Before this album was released, I had heard it.  The only thing was that I didn’t have any written lyrics to go by, which was at first a bit of a disappointment, but gave me time to dissect the musical aspect of the record.  ”Descending Upon Us,” the album’s first song, has both aspects that the DH guys guaranteed.  While some things are different, it’s a standard DH song.  It opens up with heavy guitars and screaming that fades away to a slower chorus with Ryan Clark’s talented vocals.  But the next song, “LifeWar,” is something totally out of the ordinary.  To start, it doesn’t even top two minutes.  Secondly, it’s heavier and darker than your average DH song.  While the lyrics are somewhat meaningful, I’m tempted to call this song filler.  That’s extremely disappointing, seeing how Demon Hunter doesn’t come out with new music as often as some other bands do.  In my opinion, every moment of the album should be something extraordinary if they’re going to make us wait three years between albums and barely tour at all.  But I guess this song must have been important to the band, otherwise it wouldn’t be on the record.  I just don’t care for it.

However, the music climbs from a valley to a peak with the album’s first single, “Collapsing.”  It experiments with a few different styles, and Clark gets to use his singing vocals a lot more.  It’s undoubtedly one of the very best from The World Is A Thorn. “This Is The Line” combines the heavier side and more melodic side expertly in its opening few seconds.  It carries on to become an overall heavy track, with a chorus that I think the band’s biography sums up best: as a “hard-driving, fist-pumping anthem.”  A fantastic guitar solo by one of Demon Hunter’s newest members, Patrick Judge, is one that fans will find particularly appealing.

The most melodic track on the album is a song called “Driving Nails.”  It’s even more so than Storm the Gates of Hell’s epic “Carry Me Down.”  It’s another one of my close favorites on this record, mainly because of the character given to it by the unbelievable string section.  The combination of the strings and Clark’s voice is perfect.  No other word can describe the sound of this song.

The following two songs, “The World Is A Thorn” and “Tie This Around Your Neck,” are both heavy songs, the former being one of the heaviest on the album.  It’s not so heavy that it’s not enjoyable, but there is no singing at all, something that kind of disappoints me with a Demon Hunter song.  Sometimes I wonder why Clark doesn’t just sing all the time.  Yet it remains a fantastic song, in my mind.  ”Tie This Around Your Neck,” follows suit in regards to heaviness, and even touches on the dark side a bit more.  Unlike the previous track, this one does have some singing, which gives it a little bit of a lighter feel.  ”Just Breathe” is another hard track, but comes across as almost catchy.  It opens with what sounds kind of like a synth, and the chorus is something you could find yourself tapping your feet to—aggressively, but tapping nonetheless.  The much deeper and creepier screaming provided by Christian Alvestam—much like Bruce Fitzhugh’s contribution on “Sixteen” last time around—does give the song a bit of a heavier sound than it would have with just Clark’s vocals.  An outstanding guitar solo near the end of the song is one of its many highlights.

“Shallow Water” is a song that tends to get a little annoying with certain repeating guitar parts.  The vocals are slightly irritating and dark throughout without much to make things better besides a very short chorus.  It comes close to being one of the worst songs on the album.  ”Feel As Though You Could” just barely recovers from the slump, but ends up sounding a lot like “A Thread of Light” from Storm the Gates…. It’s a brutal track displaying Yogi Watt’s expert drumming a little better than most songs.  It’s definitely something for hardcore metal fans to get into, being among one of the heaviest on the album, although coming across as a little weird.  The album’s finale, “Blood In The Tears,” is the second ballad on the album.  It doesn’t have the amazing strings that “Driving Nails” has, and it’s most interesting attribute is its lyrics.  Which brings us to an examination of Ryan Clark’s writing.

All lyrical content of The World Is A Thorn is as to be expected—rock solid.  While certain songs like “Tie This Around Your Neck” or “Blood In The Tears” seem questionable upon first listen, a quick examination of the actual lyrics ought to clear any doubt.  ”Driving Nails” stands out as an incredibly poetic track, while songs like “The World Is A Thorn” are meant purely for pummeling our eardrums with a message that screams, “Won’t bow to man/ Won’t bow to government/ Won’t trust in a failed system of self-fulfilling lust/ Won’t love a world where my God is mocked/ I defy.”

So is Demon Hunter’s fifth effort their best?  I don’t think so.  It’s much heavier throughout, yet the ballads stick out as the dominant tracks.  With a metal band like DH, it would make sense that it should be the other way around.  The band took a step into different territory, and I honestly believe that heavier is better in some instances but not others.  The World Is A Thorn is an instance where it works in places, but overall doesn’t sound as impressive as their past two albums.  I’m sure I’ll find myself enjoying this album more and more in the days to come, but I just don’t see it as standing up to some of their older work.

Here is my list of albums that I’ll be looking forward to this year.  But this time, instead of a boring old list, I’ll provide you with a little bit of commentary on why these are going to be the dominant albums this year.  So to start it off…

10. The Afters- [Untitled] (2010)

I really like this band.  They make good music.  I’m sure there will be other bands releasing albums this year that will take the place of The Afters in this spot, but I really couldn’t think of any other bands that would be releasing albums that I would be ultra-excited about.  I am excited for this album… don’t get me wrong.  But I’m positive there will be releases that surprise me this year that will take this spot.  The same goes for the next two.  Makes the list seem kind of pathetic, but I’ll fill you in when I get more excited.

9. Owl City- Ocean Eyes (Deluxe Edition) (January 26)

Since when do people get excited about Deluxe Editions, right?  Well seven additional tracks is a little hard to pass up on.  That’s not like other re-releases where they put one or two songs on to entice people (which doesn’t really work for me, by the way).  That’s more songs than most EPs have.  Even though most of the songs have been released already in some way or form, I don’t have them, so that’s a plus for me.  I doubt most people will agree with me, but that’s something to look forward to.

8. Blindside- [Untitled] (2010)

I never really listened to them a lot, but they have a few great songs.  The reason I’m putting them on this list is because they said they would either make their best record yet or call it quits.  They’re making their best record ever.  Now if only more bands would take on this logic…

7. The Classic Crime- Vagabonds (April 6)

This goes on my list just so that my friend isn’t too disappointed.  Actually, I really like The Classic Crime, so that’s partially untrue.  But if this album isn’t any good, I might not hear the end of it.  And some of the proceeds go to helping those in Haiti who are suffering from the effects of this tragic earthquake.  I hope the album is a success so that TCC is able to help some of those people.

6. Family Force 5- [Untitled] (2010)

“Keep the Party Alive” has rekindled my interest in Family Force 5.  Not to say that Dance or Die made me stop liking them, I just think that song is better than anything on DOD.  And their live show continues to be amazing.  I can’t wait for Purple Door 2010, because they’ll be there again!  And this time they’ll be doing an acoustic set, which I’m pretty sure they’ve only done once or twice ever.  I’m excited for a third album that the band is already calling “epic.”

5. Demon Hunter- The World is a Thorn (March 9)

If you’ve heard their newest song “Collapsing” you’d be intrigued too.  Demon Hunter is a band that puts out an album every once in a while, but when they do… woah, you’d better be ready.  Plus, to add to the excitement I’ll be seeing them at Purple Door 2010!!!!  That’s right, they’ll be there too.  You might want to be there as well, considering they barely ever tour.  They said they might tour a little more to support the new album, but this is BIG.  Can’t wait.

4. House of Heroes- [Untitled] (2010)

My all-time favorite band.  They are pure genius.  If they can top The End is Not the End, I can have all the more excuse to completely love them.  Let’s hope it happens.

3. And Then There Were None- [Untitled] (2010)

If you haven’t heard their debut, you’re no fun.  I would have put them higher on the list, but I honestly believe that after Who Speaks for Planet Earth? there’s no way they’ll be able to do better.  I don’t know.  We’ll just have to see.  I can guarantee one thing—be ready to tap your feet.  Or just lose it and dance unashamedly.  :)

2. Children 18:3- [Untitled] (May?)

I only recently started listening to them, but everything about them fascinates me.  They’re hilarious and extremely energetic live, and in person… well, they’re alright in person.  But they make some amazing music.  Their debut blew me away, and I’m sure their sophomore album won’t be too much different.  I look forward to another amazing blend of smart, fun lyrics and a ska/punk rock sound that really sets them apart.  Three cheers for creepy punk rock!

1. Secret & Whisper- Teenage Fantasy (February 9)

I don’t know if I’m most excited about this one because it’s the closest new album to releasing this year (Owl City doesn’t really count), but I’m completely in love with their debut.  They are such a talented band with such deep and interesting lyrics.  I’m unbelievably psyched to hear what they’re putting out next.  I really hope I’m not setting myself up for disappointment, but I doubt that’s going to happen.  Like, I really doubt that’s going to happen.

Welcome to the first music news update of 2010!  My computer had a huge crash that took a few days to get fixed, so that’s why I’m a little late.  But for those of you who waited…

Demon Hunter is releasing their fifth album, The World is a Thorn, on March 9th.  Be prepared for some epic new metal music.  Guitarist Ethan Luck and co-founder Don Clarke recently left the band (you can hear stuff from Ethan by hearing the new Relient K album), and there was a rumor (and press photo) that had Randy Torres as Ethan’s replacement.  However, he was only a temporary fill-in, and the final lineup for this album is with Patrick Judge and Ryan Helm (both on right of Ryan Clarke, lead vocalist).  The album is being mixed, so new music will be released via the internet shortly.  Stay tuned!

Producer Aaron Sprinkle’s band, Fair, is set to release their sophomore album February 9th.  He’s worked with bands such as the one above (big, scary picture… you can’t miss it), Anberlin, Copeland, The Almost, and Thousand Foot Krutch—to name a few.  It’s almost guaranteed to be expertly done, so I wouldn’t miss it.  And on the release day, I’ll expect you’ll be listening to Secret & Whisper’s new album, Teenage Fantasy.  They release on the same day.

Family Force 5 is going to have a song on the new Alice in Wonderland movie soundtrack.  That is going to be a weird movie, so I don’t know how I feel about this.  Johnny Depp is just…

Anyway, since my computer was down I didn’t get to post my top 10 favorite songs of last year, so I’ll get to that shortly.  And I want to make one last list of bands that I’m looking forward to hearing new music from in 2010.  And then I’ll be done with the top ten lists and you can go on with your life knowing that everything good in Christian Rock music has been listed in a blog post.  Be prepared.  Or else.

-FISHER