FIGHT THE FADE "In Love.In Hope.In Peace."

(c) 2020 Independent Release

1. Don't Say
2. Everything Is Fine?
3. What's Left
4. Over And Over
5. Consumed
6. Heart
7. Feelings
8. Underwater
9. Wild Ones
10. Devil
11. Everything
12. Standing Here
13. The Answer

Zene Smith--Vocals

Tyler Simpson--Guitars

Bryan Conway--Guitars

Trevor Taylor--Bass

Alyssa Worth--Drums

Go ahead.  Try to find another band as nearly impossible to pin down style-wise as Fight The Fade is.  Sure, on the songs they are best known for, such as "Edge Of Desire", "Lanterns (In The Dark)", and "Masks", the band comes across largely as a industrial hard rock/metal band.  And that's a fair assessment if all you have heard are the singles, especially the most recent ones.  And man, those are some GREAT songs.  But if you have never dug deeper into a Fight The Fade record, you have missed a lot of other pieces of who the band is.  I mean, this band is SO electronic at times, there are more bloops, bleeps, whirs, and buzzes than in a Star Wars droid scene!  Sometimes those moments are almost entirely devoid of guitars, while other times the electronic elements are merely the bedrock upon which the rest of the song is built.  And nowhere in their catalog are these elements more prominent than on their newest effort, In Love. In Hope. In Peace.

The album starts off with "Don't Say", and right away fans of Fight The Fade will notice something different is going on here.  Combining heavy electronics usage, a repetitive bass line, and equally repetitive lyrics, "Don't Say" in unlike anything I can recall hearing from the band previously.  I can't say I dislike the track, because I really like the way lead singer and band founder, Zene Smith, approaches the vocals on this piece, but it is definitely not something that I was planning to hear when I popped In Love.In Hope.In Peace. in for the first time.

The same can be said for "Everything Is Fine?".  If "Don't Say" was a bit of an oddball, "Everything Is Fine?" is straight up quirky.  Techno, industrial, electronica...even hints of dubstep...all collide in this song, and pretty much everything here is electronic, from the drums to the synthesizers to the effects used on Smith's vocals.  And when Smith's more metallic scream kicks in towards the end of the track, the heavy guitars aren't there to accompany him, just layers of synthesizers and electronic sounds as his scream echoes away, trailing off into the more spoken-word approach he uses for most of this track.  Not gonna lie, I was starting to get a bit concerned at this point, as this was not the Fight The Fade I was expecting.  Where were the hard hitters like "Lantern" or "Masks"?!  What gives?

Turns out what I was seeking would punch me in the earhole immediately, as the mid-tempo-but-hard-hitting rocker "What's Left", blasts forth on song three.  A track that combines an industrial element to its guitar-driven hard rock, "What's Left" is likely the sound and style that fans of Fight The Fade picked up this album to hear.  For non-fans, if you are familiar with the band Stabbing Westward from the late 90s and early 2000s, that would be a fair sonic comparison, although Zene has far superior vocals, in my opinion.  Already seeing significant airplay on Christian rock stations, I really don't know why "What's Left" isn't getting broader radio play, as it would fit comfortably on nearly any modern rock station, metal station, or on Octane.

"Over And Over" slows things down a tad and inserts a few more electronic elements, but the guitars still carry a heavy, industrial grind throughout the track, and the chorus punishes when it hits full force.  Utilizing some pretty harsh vocals in spots alongside the unmistakable vocal style of Smith.  There are some atmospheric elements here, as well, especially on the bridge section before the final run through the chorus, which really add to the musical depth of the track.  This song was a real sleeper for me, as I feel I used to spin right through this song without realizing just how great it was.  Trust me, I stop to take notice now.

"Cosumed" returns to the heavy electronic influences, and I get a distinct Nine Inch Nails vibe here.  The electronic drums are very rapid fire on this track, and harsh screams rip through the chorus section that is a big part of the NiN comparison for me.  I can envision a moshpit opening up at the front of the stage as this song pulsates with techno rhythms and industrial power, but I can't say that this is a track that I find myself really grabbing onto, as NiN has never been a favorite of mine.  I will say that this is some of the heaviest vocal work I have ever heard from Smith, as he lets loose with some rage-filled screams that stand completely apart from the smoother vocal style he applies to the next track, "Heart", which finds itself in that weird territory between ballad and mid-tempo rocker.  Piano and softer percussion during the verses yield to heavier, more aggressive sounds in the chorus sections on this obvious love song.

"Feelings" has a unique percussion line to it and some blurby keyboards that run throughout this song about self-sacrifice (yes, I said "blurby".  I don't know how else to explain them.)  Definitely one of the weaker musical moments for me, I honestly skip this track the majority of the time.

Skip is NOT something I do with "Underwater", which follows a similar style to the other rockers here, combining atmospheric electronic elements with hard driving guitar lines and Smith's powerhouse vocal style.  The mid-tempo rocker has multiple layers to the vocals, with the main line of the chorus exclaiming, "I keep going underwater", while set slightly in the background, a second vocal line implores, "Don't let me drown".  There is a smoothness to this track that just makes it flow...well...like musical water when I listen to it, but the guitars retain their bite and the percussion is huge throughout.  I find myself hitting repeat on this track quite often.

"Wild Ones" is another up-tempo rocker with a big chorus that just begs the listener to scream along when the band shouts "we are, we are the reckless youth!"  The tempo comes to a screeching halt after the second chorus run, with just Smith and some electronic sounds taking over at the front end of the bridge, slowly building in tempo and intensity until until the chorus hits once again.

The Stabbing Westward comparison I made earlier really hits home on "Devil", which is a fun, quirky rocker that leans heavy on the industrial side, but also incorporates some unique percussion sounds, both electronic and human, with some funky bass work thrown into the mix as the instrument doing the heavy lifting during a vocal bridge leading to the final chorus.  And that bridge section...if you don't hear a bit of Kid Rock's "Cowboy" in the way it is structured, we may not be listening to the same song.  Like I said, this is a fun rocker that is unlike anything else on this record.  Check it out below.

"Everything" sounds like it has about three clocks all running in the background, and all are ticking and tocking in slightly different time, which is an odd thing to hear.  At just under a minute, this little interlude leads directly into the ballad, "Standing Here".  An electric current runs beneath the keys that intro the song, drawing up to the guitars and a really big drum sound that would push the track into "power ballad" territory were this 1989.  Make no mistake, this is a modern rocker, but the song's structure and style are definitely a nod to that lighter-in-the-air sound, whether intentional or not.  I dig it...a lot...and I have to think the song goes over well in the live setting.

The album closes on an excellent note with "The Answer", which is definitely one of my top two or three songs on the album.  Hard-hitting and aggressive, "The Answer" is a full-force industrial rock attack from start to...well, almost finish, as there is an echoing keyboard that exits the song and the album.  Smith's vocals are again accompanied by some harsher, lower-register screams that in at least one place sound a lot like Ryan Clark from Demon Hunter.  A nearly perfect way to bring a really good album to a close.

While it does have its quirky moments and expands upon the band's previous sounds, In Love. In Hope. In Peace. is a treat from start to finish and will hopefully draw more attention to a band that deserves to be noticed.  There truly aren't many, if any, bands in the Christian arena that sound like Fight The Fade, and few in the secular world that sound as good as this Oklahoma-based act.  I would strongly encourage you to pick up the album and support the band by shopping directly from their website store, located HERE.

Rating:  Somewhat hard to pin down, especially at the outset, but In Love.In Hope.In Peace cranks its way through to a 7.5 rating!

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GOLD, FRANKINCENSE & MYRRH (GFM) "Oh, The Horror!"

(c) 2019 Independent Release

1. Give Me A Sign
2. The Other Side
3. R.I.P.
4. Never Again
5. On The Inside
6. Can You Promise Me That This Will Never End

CJ English--Vocals, Guitars

Maggie English--Bass, Vocals, Keys

Lulu English--Drums, Vocals

It has been nearly four years since the English sisters (well, they're American sisters named English, so...) released their successful sophomore album, Identity Crisis, on the masses.  (Their 2015 debut EP, Death Of Giants , went largely unnoticed, although four of the six songs were later included on Identity Crisis).  Now, the creators of Beautycore have returned with an EP of six new songs, showing considerable growth not only as musicians, but especially as songwriters.  

The EP kicks off with "Give Me A Sign", which has garnered significant airplay on Christian rock stations throughout the country and clocked in as number 20 on ChristianRock.Net's Top 100 songs of 2019.  A fun punk/metal hybrid, the song is insanely catchy and really shows an increased strength in the clean vocals from CJ, who also rips through some impressive rhythm guitar lines on the song.  Big backing "whoa" vocals add some depth to the track, and Lulu's impressive skills behind the kit really drive this rocker that features almost exclusively clean vocals.

"The Other Side", by contrast, is a lot darker vocally, with Maggie's harsh growls rather staggering to hear coming from the young lady, and standing as a bipolar opposite of the sweet sounds of CJ's voice.  Thick bass chords are a  prominent part of the track, and again, some fiercely aggressive rhythm playing from CJ pushes the more metallic attitude here.

Next up is "R.I.P.", a fun, punkish song that has to be a blast in the live setting, as fans shout along to the song's title in the chorus.  Co-written by Josiah Prince of Disciple, this song likely won't be released as a single, which is a shame, because it really is a catchy tune.  Featuring another really strong bass presence, especially at the beginning, this song also sports some fairly sparse musical sections, especially on the pre-chorus sections, allowing for the contrasting vocals of CJ and Maggie to take more center stage.
If you have ever seen the girls in their cheerleading stage outfits, they are even more appropriate with this song, as there are a couple of sections where the girls chant along (with some additional crowd help), sounding like a high school cheer squad.

"Never Again" is a more metallic track that has seen recent airplay as a single, and as with so many songs from the trio, the interplay between CJ's (and some of Maggie's) clean vocals and Maggie's harsh screaming growl really drive the song and set it apart from so many other songs on Christian rock radio today.  A strong message of independence and personal belief in oneself, "Never Again" stands as kind of the antithesis of their last album's title, Identity Crisis, as CJ declares, "I am stronger now/I will stand my ground/I won't apologize for who I am!"  The stop-start chugging of the rhythm guitars and bass are punishing, and Lulu's aggressive drumming really pushes the song forward.  Definitely more "core" than a few of the tracks here, there is a brief, pummeling breakdown here and power chords galore as the girls prove they have the musical chops to stand with the boys of the genre.

"On The Inside" is the "radio" song of the batch, with a softer...slightly softer...approach, with the majority of the vocals handled in a cleaner fashion.  Yes, Maggie tears loose with a growl at the onset of the song, but by and large, this is the most melodic of the headbangers on the record.  That doesn't mean the music is less intense, the chords any less powerful, the drums any duller.  But there is definitely a catchiness, a melodic sensibility that the other songs don't really call for that "On The Inside" brings to the table.  Check out the video below and see if you can't detect what I'm talking about.

The EP closes with the latest single, "Can You Promise Me That This Will Never End", which may be the longest song title I have typed since my days in radio when I had to type "If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body (Would You Hold It Against Me)" by the Bellamy Brothers.  Hey!  Maybe it's a sibling thing.  Okay...of course it isn't.  Anyway, long song title aside, this is a great way to wrap up this impressive EP.  The song starts off with some effects before those meaty rhythm guitars hit and the cymbals crash to announce the arrival of the girls.  As is pretty typical on this effort, CJ handles the vast majority of the clean vocals, although Maggie does drop in some clean harmony vox as well, but her vocal presence is most felt when she snarls her lines in a manner that would likely make Angela Gossard (Arch Enemy) grin.  Lulu does enough double kicking here that it sounds like she's running on her kit, and she has some really interesting patterns she chooses to use before the final run through the chorus. 

To be honest, complaints about this effort are very few, as everything works really well, from the cool cover art to the perfectly executed track listing.  If I had any complaint, it would really be only that the album is just too short and leaves me wanting more!  None of the six songs here top 3:40 in length, and half of them don't even get to three minutes, so the entire EP sits at around 18 minutes.  But it's a really, really fun, interesting, aggressive, and entertaining 18 minutes.

I have never found this EP in the physical format, so as far as I am aware, digital is the only way you can get Oh, The Horror!  Frustratig, to be sure, but I just downloaded the EP (along with the girls' acoustic EP) and burned it so I could take Oh, The Horror! with me on the road.  Available on Amazon and iTunes (and probably just about any other digital store you care to shop), this is definitely a piece of the modern hard rock/metal scene that is worth the download.

As good as Identity Crisis is, Oh, The Horror! tops it in nearly every way!  All that's missing is a softer moment like "Chatter In The Room" from IC.  There seems to be nothing that will stand in the way of these talented, ambitious young women who have certainly raised the bar...and some eyebrows...in the hard music industry, both Christian and secular.  Color me impressed!

Rating:  Very definitely crankable!  Dial this up to an 8!  I only wish it were a bit longer!

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SAVED BY SKARLET "Out Of Darkness"

(c) 2019 Independent Release

1. Intro
2. Feel The Enemy
3. Out Of Darkness
4. Conquerors
5. Surrender All
6. When I'm Cold
7. Come Alive
8. Light It Up
9. Fire Inside
10. The Syndrome

Benjamin Andrews--Screams, Group Vocals

Matthew Middleton--Guitars, Bass

Nathan Middleton--Vocals, Drums, Synth

Adam Chenier--Drums

Saved By Skarlet is a four-piece, metalcore-influenced band from Rhode Island.  Built around brothers Matthew and Nathan Middleton, the band has experimented with a couple of different line-ups before putting together the current band and releasing Out Of Darkness, their debut album.  A couple of previously released singles are included on the album, along with 8 new tracks that range from pretty straight forward metalcore to more melodic, progressive tracks, all of which work to varying degrees.  What does work throughout, regardless of style, is the band's commitment to being a Christian band whose faith is on display through the lyrics to each of the ten tracks on this album.  

The disc starts off with...well, with "Intro", a spoken-word track with some electronic elements (including synthesized strings), a church bell, and some rather progressive guitar work.  This sub-minute long track stands in pretty stark comparison to "Feel The Enemy", the first true song on the album.  Musically, the song is a hard-hitting, core-based track, with some excellent rhythm guitar work and tight drumming, along with some great screams and an excellent breakdown section.  The lead, clean vocals are a bit emo in style and sound, and it took me a couple of listens to really wrap my head around how they fit into the mix here, as this is a pretty heavy track otherwise.  Definitely not the norm for fans of pure metalcore, but plenty of musical meat here to chew on, along with some solid lyrics about fighting against the internal desire to sin and fighting against the enemy that inspires those thoughts and desires.

The title track, "Out Of Darkness" follows, and again, we have a pretty aggressive, largely metalcore track, although the band incorporates several programmed elements into this song, along with some higher pitched screams and some of the harshest vocals that Nate lays down.  His clean vocals, again, are fairly emo in nature, but nothing that detracts from the overall quality of the work here.  Once again, the rhythm guitars are particularly strong, and the drum work is solid.  It reminds me of something Nine Lashes might have done in their harder-edged moments. Two true tracks in, I have to say I am rather impressed with this self-recorded, self-produced effort.

Next up is one of the most diverse songs on the album, musically.  Originally released as a stand-alone single in 2017, the band re-packaged "Conquerors" for this album and re-released it as a single, and it is now climbing the ChristianRock.Net charts.  I say it is diverse because there are some solid guitar leads thrown into the mix under the verse sections, pairing with the pretty fierce rhythm guitars to give the track a solid foundation.  Again, some programmed elements and reverb are thrown into the mix, especially on the vocals in the chorus sections, but overall this track relies on the traditional instrumentation to drive the song.  Featuring a cool opening riff and some nice percussive moments, "Conquerors" is one of the strongest songs on the album, despite the fact that there are no real harsh vocals used here, outside of a couple of screams at the end of certain vocal lines.  I have to assume this is the reason Andrews isn't in the video; either that, or he wasn't in the band when the video was made.  There is a pretty vicious breakdown in this song, also, which I really like, but there is always going to be that part of me that really wishes that there would be a screaming guitar solo ripping through the section, as well.  Inspired by Romans 8:37-39, the song is about being more than just conquerors through the strength of Christ.  Check out the band's self-produced video below.

The band slows things down considerably for "Surrender All", with a piano playing a prominent role in the musical presentation here.  The cleaner vocal style that Nate uses on the album works better in this environment than in other places, but the music is almost too "pretty" for this record, with programmed strings joining the piano after the first chorus, which is also when the guitars and drums finally join the mix.  Later, a female voice is added to the background vocals, and there are several big "whoa-oh-ohs" thrown in for good measure, creating a really big-feeling song.  To me, the song steers pretty hard into praise and worship territory, which isn't a bad thing, but again, it really doesn't fit what the band has done up to this point.  Even the very brief snarl that Nate throws into his voice at the end of the one of the chorus sections doesn't do anything to change the overall feel of this song.  All this to say I would NOT cut the song, as I think it is a very impressive composition and it is performed really well, but I WOULD move it to the end of the album where I think it wouldn't feel like such a shock to the system.

"When I'm Cold" is up next, and if I'm being 100% honest, I skip this track pretty much every time it comes up, and that is due completely to the first verse and run through the chorus.  I just can't do it, which is actually too bad, because from that point on, the song really has some excellent work, especially on guitar.  There's actually a pretty cool (albeit short) guitar solo, and the leads are some of the best on the record.  The backing vocals are great, the chimes used in the percussion section are a great touch, and the writing is really, really good.  I just can't get through the starkness of the first verse.  The keys used sound almost off key to my ear, which, in turn, make the lead vocals (Matt tackles that task on this song)  sound off and nasal, and I just have to hit skip, at least in my truck.  When I am at home and can actually fast forward through the song without the threat of swerving off the road, then I really, really like the last two-thirds of the song.  I hope that perhaps the band will consider rewriting this song and including it in a follow-up album at some point.

Following the sound of a heart monitor, "Come Alive" picks the tempo back up, with some really good drum patterns and some more really solid guitar leads.  Electric piano is used as a supporting instrument on this track, and it is put to good use.  All the vocals on this track are of the clean variety, and the heart monitor exits the song in much the same manner that it introduced it.  Not an overly memorable song, musically, but a good read lyrically, with a solid message.  I don't skip it, but "Come Alive" isn't a song I would steer people toward to understand who Saved By Skarlet is.

The same can be said for "Light It Up", although this track has some really great guitar work...right before the quasi-rap section!!!  Starting off with a definite dirty blues riff, then morphing into a hard-driving modern rocker, this song is all over the place stylistically, but I have to admit it is kind of fun!  I'm betting the guys had a blast with this song, which features the most prominent bass sound on the record, and I would imagine that this is a fun song in the live setting.

"Fire Inside" trends back toward the metalcore sound the band used on the first handful of songs, which is where the band is definitely at their most consistent.  Aggressive, with a heavy, chunky breakdown, and those strong rhythm guitars...and surprising leads, this is what I think Saved By Skarlet should really focus on.  In fact, if they were to bring in more of their harsher, core-styled vocals, this would possibly be my favorite track on the album, as it is really tight musically.  One thing that bugs me, however, is how much quieter this song is than any other song on the record, which is almost certainly a product of the guys doing this record almost completely on their own, with no label backing or professional producer at the helm.  Another example of a song that I hope the band gives new life to on a later release.

"The Syndrome" closes things out in excellent fashion, as Saved By Skarlet is hitting on all cylinders here.  Harsh vocals, punishing rhythm guitars, tight, machine-gun drumming, a crunching breakdown, and some interesting programmed elements all mix together to create a song that I hit repeat on nearly every time through.  This...THIS...is what Saved By Skarlet needs to be, in my opinion!  Brutal beauty that I think most any metalcore fan will be able to grab hold of and rattle their brain to!  Please, give me more music of this intensity in the future!

In the end, this is a pretty solid debut and a decent album overall, with several strong songs.  Spiritually, the band is on-point, and musically they have a feel for what they are trying to accomplish, although there are a few times I think they attempt to get to proggy and not core-ish enough.  In blunt truth, this would make a great EP, as I would lop off the intro, "When I'm Cold", and "Come Alive", ratcheting things down to 6 really solid core-based tracks, with "Surrender All" tagged on to close things out.  I hope that in the future the guys stick to the more core-ish style...especially with the harsher vocal approach they use in "The Syndrome"...and stay away from the cleaner, more emo-styled stuff.  The harsh vocals, gritty guitars, and savage breakdowns are the meat of this band's sound, in my opinion, and the more emo-oriented vocals and song styles don't do the band justice.  I also hope that there is some way these guys can get with a professional mixer and producer, to help level things out and smooth out a couple of rough edges.  I think there is a good deal of potential here, no question.

Be sure to check the band out on Facebook, and head over to CDBaby to get this album from the guys.

Rating:  Rock this debut effort at 6.5, with the expectation of some bigger things to come!

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