For the past nine years, Dizmas has taken their intense, no compromise, faith-fueled rock sound directly to the people who have needed to hear the most. They've crossed the country countless times, playing for tens of thousands at a mainstage festival performance or ministering to youth groups in a local church. In the process, they've achieved a #1 Rock radio single, a Dove nomination, but most importantly - they've profoundly impacted countless lives with the eternal truth of the Gospel. Because of this growing consumer momentum, Dizmas is set to release their debut release for Forefront Records in order to expand their influence, impact, and audience. Dizmas features 5 brand new studio recordings, including their first CHR single - "Yours", as well as 5 classic Dizmas favorites.
Click here to add a video. Click to add lyrics if not listed.
Dizmas may want to stop playing it safe| Posted October 13, 2008
Dizmas released their sophomore album Tension in June of 2007; now their latest self titled album is out in less than a year. Fast workers? Not exactly. Out of the ten songs on the disc only four are new cuts, the rest are merely five from Tension and one lone track from their debut On a Search in America.
Among the older songs, which none are redone in any way, is the single and possibly their most famous song from their first album, “Redemption, Passion, Glory” a light rock tune with a worship atmosphere that isn’t very impressive. There selection could have been a little better on Tension because repetitive “shake it off” is reckless rock song with an unattractive tune and riffs and the heavy “dance”, while it avoids screaming, is disjointed. “Play it safe” is a decent alternative rock tune but thankfully “jealously hurts” is a solid tock song with a fine bridge.
Their new music centers around the single “yours” which has some electronic sounds in the pop rock is far from cutting edge, though some of it sounds like Lifehouse. ). Unfortunately the first two new songs sound rather stale especially “save the day” which doesn’t take any risks and fails to do anything special. However no everything goes wrong on Dizmas, “Different” matches lead singer Zach Zegan’s vocals very well in an energetic pop/rock tune that has a very good beat. “Worth fighting for” is a breath of fresh air which blends some 80’s throwback with upbeat rock.
One thing about Dizmas that is so encouraging is that they have a no compromise attitude that too few faith fueled modern rock bands have today. Playing in front of a mainstream crowd or a youth group doesn’t change the powerful lyrics contained in every song (excluding “dance”). The singer realizes that the closer he comes to God he is closer to becoming himself on “different” (‘Take my life/Change my heart/Make me different’) and “save the day” centers on how even in tribulation his trust in God will be justified ‘When it feels like life is chaos/You'll be there reminding me that/You will save the day ‘.
Topics vary and don’t get repetitive whether dealing with finding God (“yours”) contemplating how God would die for us (“Redemption, Passion, Glory”) and even defecting hurtful words (“shake it off”). “This is a warning” counsels ‘This is a warning for all of us that are falling/For the lie that we could bigger than God’ while “play it safe” centers around the simple truth “No one seeks God, no, not one” and while demonstrating his point further the song says: ‘Seeing is believing/But belief is not like faith/Faith takes chances/Faith moves mountains’.
It’s odd that this CD isn’t an EP because you could hardly call any of their older material classic, which means that only new fans will pick up the album leaving those faithful followers of Dizmas confused and irritated that their self titled effort isn’t the real thing. Very solid lyrics aside Dizmas' album falls short of any expectations.
Dizmas [Dizmas]| Posted September 24, 2008
[Main Review]
Dizmas are lead singer Zack Zegan, Zack’s younger brother and back up vocals and guitarist, Josh Zegan; guitarist Jon Howard; bassist Nick Aranda and Clayton Hunt on the drums.
As a newcomer to the Dizmas world, I’ve been reading reviews about their past efforts as an indie group to find out who they are. After having only heard their new self-titled album, it’s hard for me to believe they ever indulged in anything close to heavy or screamo. The Dizmas have been getting some seriously mixed reviews with this CD because of their new sound. Personally, I don’t see the problem. Band members grow and mature as people and when a group can bring that new level of maturity into their music and tell the world who they are becoming, that shows awesome talent.
Who would want to listen to a band that never changes? If every album sounded like the last, why buy it? I give them mad props for taking the risk of changing.
And yes, I believe that even old-school Dizmas fans will enjoy this album, and not despite the changes, but because of them. Hopefully this new gig with Forefront records will boost sales and popularity for this adventuresome troupe. Their tone has way mellowed out, leaning more in a melodic pop-rock direction, showing an entirely new side to these guys. With all that said, let’s jump in.
The song “Yours” kicks things off, and could have been taken right out of a church service. It offers imagery of blue skies and oceans, and total surrender to the Lord, despite fears and failures. It expresses a desire to tell God everything you’ve been holding back, finally able to trust this friend with your heart. This CD takes important spiritual issues and makes the listener think about their own lives. Track two, “Play It Safe,” takes a serious look at faith and the difference between real faith and just kind of believing something. “Faith moves mountains / You will see when you don’t see / Faith prevails where belief fails…”
“Jealousy Hurts” and “This Is A Warning” bring some rock into this so-far-soft album, making the second half distinctly more rock than the first. It gets a little edgy with themes of love, guilt, lies, and tension. “This is a warning for all of us that are falling / For the lie that we could be bigger than God? / … We don't get it and don't care if we do / We're crying like we're innocent.”
“Worth Fighting For” is a hard song about questioning what we know and what we’re told. You get stronger when you question. “Is easy going the best for us / Is faith becoming so comfortable / We’re looking for answers / We’re not asking questions /…Reach out and He will lead us on / the end is worth fighting for /…there is hope in the aftermath” The last song, appropriately titled “Dance” certainly has the energy to make you want to rock.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
________________________________________
This album is awesome, and is truly focused on bringing glory to God. It encourages deep faith and spiritual growth and questioning what we think we know. It sounds to me like perfect summertime cruising tunes. Harmonizing back up vocals lend a depth to the album’s sound. The music is a great blend of calm and catchy, pop and praise, with an air of adventure, as if being swept up into something bigger than yourself. I definitely recommend picking up this album. I myself would appreciate a little screamo thrown into the mix for diversity, and perhaps a throwback to the past. But all in all, the Dizmas guys are talented and on the rise. Moral of the story: Don’t be afraid of a new sound.
Rating: 8.3 out of 10 (83%, B-)
Review written by: Liz Zelinski
(liz.zelinski@christianmusicreview.org)
Review can also be found at:
http://www.christianmusicreview.org/dizmas_dizmas.html
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from ChristianMusicReview.org. Click here to visit ChristianMusicReview.org today!
Worth buying| Posted August 23, 2009
I love this album! I haven't heard any of their others. It's rock, but not hard. I'd love to see them in concert! The lyrics on this album are great.Shake it Off stands out. The song Dance makes me want to do that. I'd recommend this CD.
Worth a listen| Posted May 25, 2008
Dizmas is a fun band, and their first major label release stays true to who they are and what they do best. I was hesitant to pick this album up at first, since half of it is re-released songs from their first two albums. The selection was good, including Jealousy Hurst, This is a Warning, and Redemption, Passion, Glory. I would have liked to see Let This One Stay make the cut as well, but that's just a matter of personal taste. In terms fo the big picture, it probably would have been out of place on this album, so I can't fault its exclusion.
Even with the small number of new songs, this album is worth getting a hold of, on the strength of the new music. Yours will grab you on the first listen with it's anthemic (in a modern rock kind of way) celebration of our Creator and catchy guitar hooks, while Save the Day nicely epitomizes the Dizmas sound. Worth Fighting For and Different also fit this mold, though with a milder (but far from dull) approach.
One you put this album in your cd player, it is hard to remove!
to add lyrics if not listed.
