The Darkness Before The Storm Shines Bright | Posted March-11-2025 What You Need To Know:
Caleb Hyles is a singer songwriter best known for his Youtube career of covering songs such as Disney or anime music. His Christian faith influence has been noticed in recent years such as his Skillet cover album released in 2020 and more notably, the title track for this album The Darkness Before The Dawn.
What It Sounds Like:
Caleb's style has been well honed over his years on YouTube and fits nicely with the modern rock age. He's got soaring choruses, gripping verses, and packed rock and roll music. His sound is comparable to some Christian rock artists, like Thousand Foot Krutch, Skillet, or Disciple, for example.
Spiritual Highlights:
The real reason I wanted to sit down and review this album is because Caleb's faith is most evident in this solo record than almost anything else he's made. There is some significant messages found within, some less than others. The title track is definitely a highlight, with a call for prayer for change in our lives.
A surprise guest is Josh Smith from Ashes Remain, a massive Christian rock band in today's music scene. It encourages us to embrace the hurt in our lives with love and seems to imply that love can help us think differently about our pasts, much like what happens with Christ in our lives. The most brazen is maybe "Not Your Savior" where Caleb calls out the hypocrisy and prophets.
Best Song:
The title song, "The Darkness Before The Dawn," is one the best songs on the record. It's songwriting is so potent and moving that Lacey Sturm from Flyleaf guested on it, and on a separate version, Wolves At The Gate, did too. It's an encouraging anthem and embraces the work of something greater within us to accomplish something great - though not directly referencing Scripture it does reflect truths we find in it.
It's impressive that Caleb was able to collaborate with such significant forces in the Christian rock community, even bringing Trevor from Thousand Foot Krutch out for a new song. There are some songs that fit just generically here as anywhere else in the rock world, as this isn't labeled or promoted as a Christian-based album specifically. But regardless, The Darkness Before The Dawn offers a dynamic experience with some songs that sing of strong, biblical truths among relevant struggles in life.
With Blood Comes Cleansing Returns | Posted February-24-2025
What You Need To Know:
What Blood Comes Cleansing has unleashed their third studio album - self titled, the first release since 2008. The Christian death metal band has a new lead singer, Robert Manzone, known for his solo project Searching Serenity. This new record features 9 songs that follow Christian martyrs.
What It Sounds Like:
In 2006, the band created the record called Golgotha and follows it in 2008 with Horror. These two albums demonstrated that Christian death metal bands can be just as devastatingly heavy as mainstream, alongside legends like Impending Doom. Even though they have a new lead singer, the band is still just as brutally intense as ever, if not more. You'll find nothing short of the gnarliest vocals from Robert that accompany the ruthless, steamrolling metal music that seamlessly ranges from death metal, thrash, metalcore, and hardcore at times.
Spiritual Highlights:
The album opens with an empowering proclamation of "we will overcome/through the blood that he sacrificed/all the trials that are in this world!". The following 7 songs explore the martyrdoms and lives of faith from Stephen, Peter, Simon, Mark, Bartholomew, Thomas, and Luke. As expected and rightfully so, the music is just as brutal and only empowers the extreme messages told. Personally, I am encouraged that a band returns nearly 20 years later from their last release with even more biblically sound messages and songs.
Best Song:
It is tough to decide from the hardcore-rooted "The Inverted Crucifixion" to Robert's amazing growls on "The Hanged." But overall, the former is a great example of prime Christian death metal - something that With Blood Comes Cleansing is here to deliver. The punchy, bouncy riffs are satisfyingly heavy and the hardcore "yelling" vocals are a fun addition to change things up a bit, from guest vocalist Daryn LaMontagne. I can imagine a non-stop circle pit to every song on this record that'll keep fans engaged while listening to messages of faith.
With Blood Comes Cleansing's self-titled is more than just a comeback, it's a testament to the days of Christian death metal's glory days in the 2000s when you had many other great bands alongside them. Few remain with such fervor nowadays, but this is exemplary work from both the musicians and the new frontman, Robert. There is little to say other than congratulations to a powerful reclamation of Christian death metal. This is truly a stand out this early in the year.
Towards The Light - Brief But Bright | Posted February-19-2025 What You Need To Know:
Towards The Light is the new ep from Christian deathcore band Impending Doom. Like the last couple releases, this continues the band's self-producing and independent music journey with their fans. These five songs showcase the band's spiritual depth and musical tenacity even after many years. It is a short ep of only 11 minutes with 5 songs.
What It Sounds Like:
Fans of Impending Doom will find Towards The Light to be similar to the last few releases in the style of deathcore and vocals. I am a fan of the modern sound but for fans of old school Impending Doom, the old grindcore sound is still much in the past. Regardless, there is impressive vocals from Brook Reeves as always, consistent in the deep growls and there's even a subtle undertone of nu-metal at times.
Spiritual Highlights:
Impending Doom comes blasting out of the front gate with "Christ Is King," the first single. It is a strong declaration that the Christian roots of the band are still the driving force moving forward. It's a short but powerful song that exclaims the timeless truth that is eponymous of the song title. "Punishment" is a rebellious song with a pounding truth - resisting the weight of the world. It even has a "Christ is King" lyric backwards at the end, like an old record from the 80s.
The title track calls out to God with, "God, if you're listening/don't forget my name in eternity/forgive me, forgive me!" This is such a vulnerable call that we all can relate to and finds biblical roots at its core. "Snakes and Saints" is introspective; it warns us of the deterioration of our country without God. And "Will You See God" asks just that - what awaits us after death, which is a topic that is often addressed in the Bible and in Impending Doom's music.
Best Song:
It's short, simple, but so powerful - "Christ Is King" is the proclamation of the Christian metal world. Despite the temptations to sell out, many in the Christian metal world would proudly call out that Christ is King and will dedicate themselves to His movement inside the metal scene. Impending Doom's 90 second track is bold and encouraging, I love it.
Even though it is remarkable short, the five songs in Towards The Light are a continuation of Impending Doom's legacy of spirit-filled death metal that is an inspiration to many in both the Christian and mainstream world. Brook's devastating vocals paired with the modern deathcore musical prowess just goes to show what your legacy can prove.
Melting Elements - Melting Metallic Hardcore Like A Chemist | Posted February-06-2025 What You Need To Know:
Melting Elements is a chaotic hardcore band that is based in New York. This is a one-man project that Samuel Judd leads. Their debut ep, of the same name, was produced by their anonymous friend and released in partnership with The Charon Collective, an indie record label.
What It Sounds Like:
Melting Elements brings a metallic and old-school hardcore sound that is hard to find in such high quality, especially with Christian lyrics. This kind of music will remind of you hardcore legends like The Chariot and early Every Time I Die. Raw, gritty, and heavy-hitting, this is good stuff.
Spiritual Highlights:
Samuel's faith is a driving force. They self-explain that this project is "driven by his spiritual zeal and taste for the hardcore and metal sounds of the late 1990s and early 2000s." This influence is very clear and the songwriting is deep. Every line of lyrics can be cross-referenced in Scripture, and is noted as such on the Bandcamp notes - up to even 37 references.
Best Song:
There are only three songs on this short but promising ep. I love the opening song, "Blink Of An Eye." This song showcases the raw and metallic sounds with both the vocal-only intro, chaotic musical style, and biblical messages. All three songs are great, though!
This is a mind-blowing debut for Melting Elements. This is such an under-represented music genre that is entirely unique. The chaotic, aggressive music juxtaposed with the biblical messages of desperate hope line up perfectly. I am genuinely excited for the future of this project, I hope Samuel can continue to make more music like this, the scene needs more like this!
Therapy in Metalcore | Posted October-01-2024 What You Need To Know
Heal The Hurt is the self-titled debut of the band Heal The Hurt. Frontman Trevor Tyson formed the band out of a passion for supporting people's mental health through biblical hope. As such, you'll find messages that directly address topics like depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation through a faith-based lens. Heal The Hurt is a melodic metalcore band that doesn't shy away from the complex issues in life.
What It Sounds Like
Heal The Hurt boasts a dynamic and modern metalcore sound, engaging fans with nasty breakdowns, roaring vocals, and a creative arrangement of melodic elements. The opening song highlights the band's tender and vulnerable heart—an outcry to God to save us from the sorrow we are drowning in. Heal The Hurt's influences from bands like Memphis May Fire, Wage War, and We Came As Romans are evident as they skillfully weave modern metalcore together in hopeful and relatable songs.
Spiritual Highlights
Trevor's faith is a driving force for these songs, even though he's not afraid to tackle sensitive topics in the mental health space. Heal The Hurt cries out to God by name for salvation and help amid the struggles of life. Trevor's influence and presence in the Christian rock and metal scenes are evident in these songs, with familiarity in sounds but in their own voice.
Best Song
One of their lead singles, "Withering," captures the heart of the band well. In this gut-wrenching song, the outpour of desperation fuels the need for hope and salvation from the hurt in and around us. Sometimes, just a glimpse of hope keeps us moving, as they proclaim, "I won't be withering for long." But this does not negate the pain, as they admit, "My emotions fade/and the darkness takes hold/no hope no sorrow/just my hell exposed." This balance of present relatability and a hopeful future sets this band apart.
Heal The Hurt delivers an excellent debut that clearly shows the band's heart, a desire to reach and present to them the little the lost, and the hope they need to begin healing while knowing they are not alone in their current hurt. The songs are relatively short, with seven clocking in just over 20 minutes. Given their deep emotional content, some more time to immerse oneself in these songs would have delivered an even more powerful experience. Nevertheless, this EP proclaims that we all have room to heal even in the middle of our hurt, utilizing intense and well-crafted metalcore music as its perfect medium.
When We Were Kings - A Royal Record | Posted September-23-2024 What You Need To Know
Stryper is an iconic and unmistakenly foundational Christian rock and metal band from the roaring '80s anthems to the modern career spanning nearly 20 years. Their latest studio album, When We Were Kings, marks the second record in a year, following the acoustic To Hell With The Amps.
What It Sounds Like
Stryper's immediately recognizable style and sound are as clear on this record as on the last ten. The high-pitched harmonization from the band's gang vocals and lead singer Michael Sweet's solo singing is as melodic as ever, with excellent guitar solos and biblical messages holding it all together. If you've heard anything from Stryper in recent years, you'll recognize what you hear here.
Spiritual Highlights
It wouldn't surprise anyone to say Stryper continues to write excellent, biblically themed songs in this album. They know what is most important: timeless truths and hope everyone needs. Stryper challenges us through music to love our enemies with "Unforgiveable" and reminds us to be grateful even in hard times with "Grateful." The powerhouse song, "Trinity," focuses solely on the glory of God, while "End of Days," as the name suggests, is an epic song that paints a vivid picture of the end times. There's no shortage of what makes Stryper themselves.
Best Song
Stryper's new record has excellent music, forming a cohesive listening experience—from exciting worship songs to rock and roll anthems. "End of Days" is one of the best opening songs on a Stryper album. This song is an excellent demonstration of the band's musical excellence and sets the expectations for the album. Conceptually, it presents an epic narration of the end of days.
When We Were Kings continues to cement Stryper's legacy in the Christian rock and metal worlds. Their lifetime expertise is masterfully utilized throughout the album to create infectious choruses, invigorating guitar solos and musicianship, and foundational lyrics that'll resonate with every listen. As great as the songs are, if I put Stryper on shuffle without knowing the albums too well, I'm not sure I'd place these songs all on the same record, as many of the recent material has a similar sound and style. Regardless, these great songs will continue to prove Stryper's musical prowess and encourage listeners.
The Fear of God Review | Posted August-12-2024 What You Need To Know:
Convictions is a Christian metalcore band from Ohio that has been unleashing hope-filled heavy music for a little over a decade now. The Fear of God is their fourth full length album and seventh project overall.
What It Sounds Like:
Convictions continues the chaotic, explosive sound that their previous masterpiece, I Won't Survive, introduced. The self-labeled aggressive worship is as evident here as anywhere else, staying consistent with their lyrics that address serious life struggles with a faith-based hope. Lead singer Michael Felker's vocal range has noticeably improved, the mix is fantastic, and the music is modern metalcore with electronic elements.
Spiritual Highlights:
Aggressive worship is the moniker and as long as it is, the band won't shy away from telling people that God is the author of our hope and is present in our struggles. "Sleeping Lotus" is a vulnerable song that expresses desire to change and become better, acknowledging that, like a flower, we might wither before we bloom. This outcry to God is evident of the band's heart and foundations in the times of struggle.
Much like the themes of I Won't Survive, the band continues to write songs about sensitive, tough topics to help people. "Hurts Like Hell" addresses grief and questions God in the hurt. "Buried In Thorns" is a song that details domestic abuse victims, maturely written. Even something like miscarriage is met with sympathy in "Waking Nightmare." But through it all, hope is evident, thanks to the band's faith.
Best Song:
With so many heavy hitters, The Fear of God is sure to grip the listener somewhere along the journey. But if nothing else, the last song, the title track, will get your attention. "The Fear of God" is unrelentless in its short length. The band proclaims that only the fear of God will save us with "It's dread of the unknown/Like a lamb to the slaughter/When all hope is gone/Will you embrace the fear of God?"
The Fear of God is devastatingly heavy and is unashamedly vulnerable. We need more heavy music like this. The expert songwriting is showcased in writing songs centered around sensitive topics while proclaiming God's hope above it all. There's no denying that this record spotlights the current line-up's strengths in the metal world, and Mike's screams having more range and ferocious than ever. Despite these highlights, there were times when the songs sounded too similar to each other - with a similar sounding mix evident in each. This wasn't bad, but more variety would have bonded the record even more.
Reignited - A Fiery Remix | Posted July-28-2024 What You Need To Know
After 12 years of the monumental Christian rock album - The End Is Where We Begin- the Canadian rockers Thousand Foot Krutch have re-recorded the album with special guest vocals on every song - naming the project Reignited. There are a variety of artists that contribute, primarily in the rock world, mostly mainstream collaborations. Lead singer Trevor McNevan has had a leading hand in it all, too.
What It Sounds Like
The iconic, gritty Thousand Foot Krutch sound is still just as contagious and energetic - with a new mix. It is a subtle change to most sounds, but the remixes allow for the guest vocals to shine in their own spots. The record sounds massive and crisp, masterfully mixed and produced, comparable to the original - unlike the official Metamorphosizremixes. The distorted guitars, pumped-up drumming, and soaring vocals are all still here and hit hard.
Spiritual Highlights
The songwriting did not change on this new version of the album, as it should be, in my opinion. As such, the same spiritual content here is worth noting. Over the last 12 years, these songs have been anthems for Christians around the world, literally. Millions and millions of streams garnered prove their relativity and positivity that we can sympathize with.
Whether it's our hope in the afterlife through the title track, personal empowerment with "Light Up The Sky," or the tender moments in life and faith reflected in "Fly on the Wall," these songs are iconic in the rock world and our lives because of their deep faith roots and real-life stories.
Best Song
Whether than deciding what song is the best, as that debate on the original album has lasted over a year, I think it's worth highlighting the best remixes. My favorite hard rock song here is the remix with Saint Asonia (and former Three Days Grace) lead singer Adam Gontier. For years, rock fans have been shaped by Adam's songs and the collaboration and spot on "Let The Sparks Fly" is fantastic.
The better of the soft songs is an expertly-picked guest vocal spot from Jake Segura from Citizen Soldier. Citizen Soldier has exploded in popularity in the last few years for their relative approach to writing mental health-driven songs, and between his unique style and the song choice, this was a perfect combo - it's almost like this song was meant to have Jake sing it.
Reignited is a fantastic collaboration and remix of such a foundational rock album of the 2010s. Whether you relate to the faith themes as a Christian or not, it is undeniable that this record cemented Thousand Foot Krutch's name in the rock world. They already saw success, sure, but nothing like what followed. The guest vocals have a great range of rock, alternative, and some electronic influence - all of which have always been influential in Trevor's background. I would have loved to see more collaborations from more faith-aligned contemporaries, but I can't complain with these ones much. Here's to new, original music soon, TFK!
To Hell With The Amps - A Heavenly Choice | Posted July-20-2024 What You Need To Know:
Stryper's legendary impact on the Christian rock and metal scene is felt far and wide. And they're not only known for their soaring anthems, but also their emotive, tender ballads. To celebrate an extensive career and to honor those ballads, Stryper has released their first full-length album of acoustic and stripped back songs - To Hell With The Amps.
What It Sounds Like:
It's not a surprise that this record was carefully recorded and created. They could have just taken an acoustic guitar can re-sang the songs and called it good, but they did not. They re-created major hits - both anthemic and soft - ranging from "Soldiers Under Command" to "Honestly." A full rearrangement is on display, with various stringed instruments and well-honed vocals lending to each song being respectfully cared for.
Spiritual Highlights:
Stryper's songs have always been a reliable source of biblical hope and truths. The only non-original song here is the cover of "Amazing Grace." Which means every song here has already stood the test of time and is in line with the band's theological prowess and writing. Listening to these songs in a new arrangement provides a unique experience that helps you focus more on the lyrics than before, and they chose great songs to highlight.
Best Song:
Their rendition of "Amazing Grace" is definitely a highlight. Though it is wonderful to hear songs like "No More Hell To Pay" and "Loud & Clear" in a new light, and even more so with the ballads reimagined, hearing something traditional in the Stryper style is a fun surprise. It even has an accompanying video to see the band perform it live in the studio. It's an excellent choice for the band to add, among a multitude of possible covers.
Stryper's first foray into the dedicated acoustic realm of music is a smashing success in my opinion. Each song is carefully chosen from a huge library of music and are each given a skillful arrangement to showcase the band's amazing musicianship and highlight the lyrics more. This record is a fantastic tribute to the band's history and fan favorites.
Hell Quakes II: A Better Chapter | Posted June-22-2024
What You Need To Know:
Hell Quakes: Chapter II follows the death/brash metal band A Secret Ending as they continue to write songs that are directly related to biblical stories and truths. These four songs are quick, intense, and showcase great songwriting.
What It Sounds Like:
A Secret Ending brings their own twist to the modern metal music world - identifying as brash and symphonic death metal. Building off their previous works, they continually integrate unique instrumentation in their music. The first song, "The Sins of Manasseh," for example, the last 30 seconds is a showcase of brass instrumentation intertwined with the typical rhythmic death metal sound. Meanwhile, "Among the Tombs" has a much more straightforward, droning to its heaviness.
Spiritual Highlights:
Some Christians have never read about King Manasseh in 2 Chronicles 33 and 2 Kings 21. The most wicked of the kings of Israel and Judah. Well, A Secret Ending holds nothing back in the retelling of the story. Not only that, but they also made a lyric video in YouTube for each of the four songs - and "The Sins of Manasseh" includes videography as well. "Among the Tombs" is a narration of Matthew 8:28-43 with the Legion-possessed man.
"Cultural Christ" shows off a different kind of songwriting. In this song, A Secret Ending condemns the modern day, American-ized Christianity that allows for cherry-picking what we want and don't want from the Bible to apply to our lives. God's love and wrath are synonymous is a strong message. And lastly, "Hell Quakes II" has a more repetitive chorus structure that ultimately is praising the Lord's greatness.
Best Song:
Each song on the EP stands out for its own unique songwriting and style. The best musically experimental song is "The Sins of Manasseh." The best traditionally heavy song is "Among The Tombs." The most culturally relevant song is "Cultural Christ." And the best lyrically experimental (for the band) is "Hell Quakes II".
Hell Quakes: Chapter II highlights the one-man band's incredible talent and passion for the Bible. Ed Casimir is the lead of all things A Secret Ending does - music videos, writing, playing, etc. This is a great EP that exemplifies the brash metal direction that Ed is taking the music. I think he could have added more length to the songs, as they are noticeably short; fully capable of maintaining attention and strong songwriting. The songwriting is superb, the vocals are crazy good, and it's ultimately a powerful epitome of Christian-based excellency in metal.
RyanAdams_NRT's Music and Book Reviews 
