Unbelievable
Posted January 15, 2011
By Crownless,
5 years ago, Matt Smith, under the name Theocracy, released one of the best albums in Christian music. So, the question on everyone’s mind is – will they, now a three-piece, experience a sophomore slump or up their game even further? Well, without a doubt, the latter.
If you read my review for Theocracy, their self titled album, you know I found it to be exceptional, with only two real complaints – the production and the drum machine. Well, both problems have been taken care of, and Theocracy managed to not make anymore. In fact, not only did they fix the problems, but they also have grown and developed into their own form of Power Metal. Not only can they no longer be compared with relative ease to bands like Iron Maiden and Blind Guardian, the diversity makes it hard to draw abstract comparisons as well, though, if I had to, I’d say Sonata Arctica, Blind Guardian, and Dream Theater are close.
“A Tower of Ashes” begins with an organ intro, before some nice riffing kicks in, all eventually giving way to some speed metal licks. The song speaks of how we construct our lives with pride, but in the end it’s just “a tower of ashes and lies.” “On Eagles’ Wings” should be a radio single. Simple, catchy, yet heavy and epic. The bridge is very powerful, with layered choral and counterpoint vocals. The song speaks of recognizing your blessings, and thanking God.
“Laying the Demon to Rest” is the heaviest Power Metal song I’ve ever heard. It almost sounds like thrash (which isn’t a long shot, both evolved from Speed Metal). It has a Dream Theater quality in the intro too, with an eerie keyboard taking the lead for a few bars. The bridge however, is completely amazing – it features a breakdown with a solo that leads into dueling solos. And, despite the absolute devastating heaviness, the chorus is still catchy and melodic, featuring a choir of Smith’s vocals. Bethlehem is a beautiful metal ballad about the coming of Christ. It also features counterpoint vocals during the final chorus.
“Absolution Day” is really the only throwback to their first album. The speedy licks are a nice breather from the heavy riffs that dominated Laying the Demon to Rest. The song is two-fold – it speaks of the overwhelming joy of being forgiven on Judgment Day, and also speaks of how anything religion or manmade will fail to get you into Heaven and that “Faith alone’s the key – absolution for all who believe.” “The Writing in the Sand” tells the story of “let he who hath no sin cast the first stone” from a new perspective – one of the would-be stoners. The song itself is a mid-tempo rocker, offering a breath of air after the intense Absolution Day.
“Martyr” is just heavy. The song is about receiving glory for dying for your faith. The song also features an interesting section in the bridge that shouldn’t work, but does. The bonus track, Wages of Sin, is another radio-made hard rock song about certain people who would have people punished, making a mockery of Christ’s sacrifice. It’s a great introduction to your non-theocracized friends.
The title track stands at 23 minutes long, and is epic in every way. It has fast parts, slow parts, heavy parts, soft parts, epic parts, stripped down parts….pretty much everything you could want. The main theme is imputed righteousness, though it also touches on themes such as not relying on other’s opinions and instead looking to God and Christ being a literal, physical savior, not just a spiritual one. I won’t spoil anything for you, but it’s a fantastic story and a fantastic piece of music.
If you like metal, get this album. If you’re a Christian, get this album. If you a metal loving Christian, you should have had this album before you read the review. View All Music And Book Reviews By Crownless | View Crownless's Profile
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