JENNA PARR "Made For This"

(c) 2020 Broadhead Music Group

1. T.K.O.
2. Break Me
3. The Runaway
4. Made For This
5. Those Eyes
6. The Runaway (Acoustic)
7. Tremble
8. Breakdown (Acoustic)

Jenna Parr--Vocals
Randall Broadhead--Guitars, Vocals, Bass, Drums, Piano, Programming, All Instruments on 7
Steve Perreria IV--Guitars, Bass, Drums on 1 & 4, Piano on 4
Matt Lane--Guitars, Bass, Drums on 2, 3, 5, Co-Lead Vocals, Piano on 8
Jordan Copas--Rap Vocals on 4

Jenna Parr is a relative newcomer to the Christian pop/rock scene, so I will forgive you if you don't know her name yet.  However, with the explosion of her current single, the Number One ChristianRock.Net hit "Break Me", that forgiveness won't be out there for long, as the music industry will soon know exactly who she is if she continues in this vein.

Supported by Randall Broadhead of We Are Vessel, Parr's 8 song EP is kind of all over the place musically.  And while she is certainly never "bad", it is definitely the harder-edged material that is likely to garner her the most attention.  This is immediately evident with album-opener, "TKO", an edgy rocker with hard grinding, modern guitars churning their way through the track, with a very solid bass presence in this track.  The drums sound like they are programmed, and there is an electronic, programmed element that seems to flow throughout the track, but these aren't necessarily bad things here.  Those hard-edged guitars I spoke of kick the track off in a very promising way, and I really like what the songwriters were trying to do here with the variance in tempo and rhythm.  And that bass is kickin'!  I also applaud Parr's effort here, but I just don't feel she hits the verses with enough attitude.  A little snarl can be a good thing on a track such as this, especially for a young woman like Parr who is trying to find her niche.  Not a bad song, but probably a bit of a gamble as the first track the listener hears when the album starts (if my track order is correct).  I would have probably started things off with the current single, "Break Me", but it's a short wait to get to that now-huge song.       

"Break Me" starts with a programmed keyboard sequence and what sound like programmed drums introing the song, before a buzzsaw guitar steadily builds and Parr's mid-range vocals kick it, with some programmed effects dropped into her vocals as she sustains the final note.  The entire "band" kicks in after this initial run, and the first verse hits, running through the same opening stanza of the song before adding a second line and a brief pre-chorus section.  It is the chorus that seems to grab the listener so strongly, and this is, in my opinion, due to a couple of things.  First, Parr has a very strong voice and knows her range well, so she is not found stretching for notes that she can't effectively hit, nor does she try to sound "edgy" (which I think would have worked on "TKO") with her singing style here, as I don't think it would have fit the almost Gothic feel that "Break Me"incorporates into its modern rock take.  She sings like she sings.  This is made all the more effective by the producer/mixer of this single, as Parr's vocals can be heard to be her own backup, singing in different registers and with different inflections, adding a unique sound to the backing vocals.  There is also a hint of an unclean male vocalist in final run through the chorus, which adds a bit of an edge to the track as well.  Lyrically, the song is extremely simple, with very few variations between the first and second verses, but it is the chorus that grabs the listener's attention and holds onto it fiercely.  That use of multiple layers of Parr backing herself, combined with the conviction with which she sings makes the chorus very infectious and hard to get out of your head.  There is a brief vocal bridge that enters into the mix before the final run through the chorus, but again, it's nothing overly complicated or attention-grabbing.  This song is all about the chorus, the hook, and the performance of Parr.  Check out the video below:

The album's title track and lead single, "Made For This", has an Evanescence quality to it, starting with a fairly haunting piano intro, which Parr joins as she sings about having a dream/nightmare, before the guitars, bass, and drums hit in a big way.  Again, very reminiscent of Evanescence, the guitars are edgy and crunchy, the drums, while sounding programmed, are solid and have enough punch to drive the track, and some additional percussion is thrown in for extra measure.  Broadhead's strong voice enters the fray on the second verse, and while he does good job on his own, for some reason his vocals do not mesh well with Parr's when they sing together.  This briefly results in Parr sounding like she comes a bit off key around the 2:05 mark.  This issue is short-lived, however, and a third voice enters the mix, as rapper Jordan Copas jumps in for a 30 second vocal run, before the male/female chorus section is repeated, with Copas dropping into a couple of spots as it exits the song.  I can see where this song would have been pretty welcomed on Christian rock radio, but there are some vocal issues I would like to see cleaned up to really emphasize the strong points here.  I like the idea of the three voices, even if I'm not necessarily the biggest rap-rock fan out there, and I do think it works well here and serves a solid purpose.  We just need to get the pitches matched up a bit better on the multi-voice choruses.

"Those Eyes" starts with a phone being dialed, only to catch a busy signal, which causes the band to hit full force with guitars, keys, drums, and bass.  A more mid-tempo rocker, this is probably my favorite track here, just ahead of "Break Me".  Parr stays in that lower end of her range, actually coming dangerously close to that snarl I mentioned was lacking in "TKO".  Again, the listener is treated to multiple layers of Parr singing both lead and backing vocals, and the guitars of Broadhead and Lane are more prominent here than on other tracks, which is a good thing, as it really adds to the overall feel of the track.  There is an urgency to the guitars here that is not really present in most of the rest of the album, minus "Break Me".  I really like this song, and I hope that this is pushed as a follow-up single to "Break Me", as I think it could do big things for Parr's rock career...if that's the path she chooses to take.

I say that because for the rest of the record, Parr seems reticent to let go of her softer side, sometimes even drifting toward the more praise and worship-styled music that she likely grew up with.  "Tremble" is a perfect example of this.  This cover song, performed originally by Mosaic MSC, among others, has some subtle programming running the length of the song, some muted electric drums and guitars, and a soaring vocal presence from Parr that finds her singing far more sweetly than on the three rockers here, and doing so in excellent fashion.  This track is very much in the vein of modern worship music that many churches employ today in an effort to reach younger demographics.  She also does a GREAT job singing on the acoustic version of "The Runaway", which is just Parr and a piano, and while I'm willing to bet the full-electric version of this really well-written song will be released to rock radio at some point, I wouldn't be at all shocked to see the acoustic version on the Christian pop charts. The same can be said of "The Breakdown", another vocals and piano track, but this time featuring a duet between Parr and Lane.  The voices work extremely well together, especially on the bridge section where they are singing in unison for much of the stretch.  Very well done, here.  And, while it is not my style of music, I have to admit the song is well-written and performed, and again, I would be this song is released to Christian pop stations at some point.  

What happens to Parr from this point on is probably going to be determined largely by which direction she feels most comfortable going in, as I think she has a lot of potential in both the hard rock and the praise and worship areas.  Yeah, she might cross-over into the Christian pop realm a bit, as I mentioned, but I don't get the feeling that is where she desires to be.  If Parr really embraces the rock sound that half of this EP builds to, I think she will be welcomed with wide-open arms, as strong females in Christian rock, just like in mainstream rock, are something of a rare commodity.  

To that end, my one criticism of Parr's performance here is that she sounds like a background singer in spots, and not like THE singer.  By that I mean she lays back too much in places where more aggression would be helpful.  Her more alto range lacks dynamics in some songs, again leading Parr to sound like a supporting backing vocalist and not the lead vocalist.  This could easily be a recording or mixing issue, but it I'd one that if addressed would open up a new level of vocal dynamics for Parr.

As a debut effort, there is a lot to like about Made For This, but there are some things to improve upon, as well.  But if the response to "Break Me" shows anything, its that rock listeners are ready for more from Jenna Parr, and there are a couple of musical punches on this album that this young woman still has to throw (PLEASE push "Those Eyes"!!).  Let's hope they find their mark!

Rating:  Rock this at  6.5, with a good dose of promise in between a couple of lesser moments.

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DENS "Taming Tongues"

(c) 2020 Facedown Records

1. Even
2. Foolish
3. Men
4. Are
5. Wise
6. When
7. They
8. Learn
9. To
10. Keep
11. Quiet

Shaun Hypes--Vocals, Guitars

Josh Waltman--Lead Guitars

Josh Tomlinson--Bass, Backing Vocals

Brandon Osborne--Drums, Backing Vocals

Additional Musicians:

LeRoy Hamp (War Of Ages)--Vocals on "Foolish"

Laura McElroy (Comrades)--Vocals on "Are"

Gary Spears (Empty)--Vocals on "Quiet"

I am not necessarily a fan of labels, especially when it comes to trying to figure out how to represent a band's sound.  Dens is a band that gives me fits, label-wise.  Are they metal?  Well, no, not entirely.  Post-hardcore?  Grunge?  Not completely and no, not really.  Alternative?  Indie rock?  Sorta.  Maybe.  Nothing completely defines who Dens is, musically.  But maybe that's okay, because Dens isn't about being labelled.  They are about making heavy music that makes you think.  (And before you ask, no, they aren't math metal, either!)  With ambient sections, metal sections, hardcore sections, screaming vocals, barked vocals, dang near spoken word vocals, and deep, heavy grooves, Dens is one of those bands that really should appeal across hard/heavy music genres, yet when I talk to my friends about them, nobody has heard of them.  That, my friends, needs to change.

Immediately, most people are going to notice the message spelled out with the song titles, and as you may have guessed, that was not unintentional.  "Even Foolish Men Are Wise When They Learn To Keep Quiet" is an altered version of Proverbs 17:28, which reads, "Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues" (NIV), which is rather interesting to me as in this day and age, NO ONE seems to hold their tongues about anything, thanks largely to social media.  It's cool that the band is able to do this with the digital and CD packaging as it is, because in the cassette and vinyl days, the message would have been split up into sides A and B, causing a disruption in the flow of the message.  Also, it should be noted that rarely do the song titles actually have anything to do with the song itself, so hopefully no one is expecting "Foolish", for example, to have a chorus of the word foolish just being chanted over and over endlessly.

The album comes to life with a discordant squeal of a guitar, with a heavy wall of guitars, bass, and drums building in the distance and roaring forward.  The surprisingly clean singing voice of Hypes glides over the top of the fray, and I have to admit to waiting for the harsh screams or snarls to hit, but they never come.  After the second chorus, the guitars take on a droning quality for a moment wit some heavy drum work underneath, and while a solo never breaks out, the song doesn't venture into a breakdown, either.  One more run through the chorus and "Even" wraps things up, leaving me a bit overwhelmed despite the fact that I have heard this song dozens of times, as the song has been released as a single and is steadily climbing the Christian Rock charts.

My favorite track here has to be "Foolish", and for people thinking this type of music needs harsher vocals, then this is the track for you.  No, Hypes doesn't shred his vocal chords for the sake of the song.  Instead, the band calls upon LeRoy Hamp from War Of Ages to add his hardcore barks to this track, creating a stark separation from the smooth, clean vocals of Hypes.  This song is pretty much pure aggression, with big drums and jagged guitars ripping their way through the enormous sound wave that blasts through the speakers.  No doubt about it, this is heavy, heavy stuff, and someone needs to explain to me why metal/heavy rock radio isn't eating this song...and band...up.  I mean, at just two songs in, I find myself pretty much sold on Dens.  Anyway, check out another Dens video, this time the cool, "art house" video for "Foolish".

"Men" is up next and after a brief intro, the band hits full force, like a throat punch, but to your ears.  Again, Hypes' vocals seem almost out of place when juxtaposed with the heavy music, but it works so incredibly well.  You can feel the emotion dripping from Hypes' words, and the wall of guitars is an impressive thing to behold, as well.  I really wish I had the lyrics to this album, as I really want to know what Hypes is singing on the chorus, but it is hard to pick up sometimes because of the previously mentioned guitar wall.  The drums are big here, also, and Tomlinson weaves a bass line through the track that fills in the rare nooks that the guitars don't smother.  Good, good stuff.

The album really takes an interesting swerve with "Are".  The song opens with a much softer feel than the previous tracks, with Hypes singing in almost a whisper at first as he drifts through the ambient layers of stretched guitar chords.  At about the 1:50 mark, the gorgeous vocals of Laura McElroy enter the track, taking a turn at a verse by herself before joining Hypes in a duo fashion for a stretch.  It's nearly three full minutes before the percussion joins the song, and Hypes cranks up the power of his voice at the same time, and a heaviness envelops the track without picking up the pace of the song until near the end.  It is hear that Osborne's drums take on a heavier, almost tribal rhythm, picking up the pace gradually as the track bleeds directly into the next one, "Wise".  This new song relies heavily on drums and percussion and has a really cool vibe to it as Osborne pretty much takes over.  Sure, the guitars are still a major presence here, but for me, the power of the drums, the cool fills and the huge cymbal crashes are just impressive.  This is a song that, if played in concert, would likely leave me standing there, almost numb from all that is going on, especially if "Are" was included as the prelude, because together they reach almost 9 minutes of intense musical beauty.  I don't think it a stretch to consider a song/song combo like this to be progressive, as the styles incorporated here are definitely not singular in nature.

"When" gives the bass a bit of a chance to shine as it accompanies the drums in setting the foundation of the song, allowing the guitars to flow across the top.  Hypes is again a strong vocal force here, but once again, it is the somewhat unusual drum patterns that really grab my attention on "When".  In contrast, the guitars are the first thing to grab me on "They", a track that I would imagine will find itself being released as a single at some point, as it shares a bit of the same stylistic approach and a similar accessibility to "Even", the current rock radio single.     

"Learn" features a rather unusual vocal approach from Hypes, as he uses basically a spoken-word approach, or rather a shouted-word approach, on the verses.  I'm trying to think of who it reminds me of, as it is right on the tip of my brain, but I can't quite grab it.  It adds a different type of intensity to the track, and I visualize him standing up on a box, barking to the crowd through a megaphone in the live setting.  The chorus sections are sung, which gives an even greater power to the gruffer verse vocals, while the layered guitars churn away beneath the whole episode.

"To" has some jangly bass and rather angry, discordant guitars bouncing atop a tribal drum pattern to start things off, and the first thing I can think of is an angry Primus song.  But then Hypes takes on an equally angry/aggressive vocal style, turning to barks and shouts instead of the smoother singing style he had used throughout the first several tracks.  Everything is kind of a noisy, jumbled, heavy mess that runs for just two short minutes, but really sets the stage for "Keep" which has a melodic, emotive build at the beginning that stands in stark contrast to "To".  Hypes returns to his clean singing, and the guitars take on an atmospheric quality with the effects employed on the bluesy style of playing.  Good stuff, to be sure, and solid proof of the amazing skill of this band.  I hope this song and the next one, "Quiet", are both incorporated into the live set, as both prove Dens is so much more than just a blazing wall of heavy guitars and thundering drums!

Speaking of "Quiet", this song stands even further out in musical left field than "Keep" does.  After hitting hard to open with some power chords and crushing drums, a choir of fans' voices fills the chorus section, adding a really cool element to the track as they sing/speak "When you speak, the Earth it quakes.  When you speak, the fires rage.  When all is quiet, there You are.  When you speak, the waters flood.  When you speak, the winds they rush..."  Really a powerful section on a song that closes out a genuinely powerful album.

The production here is outstanding, which was honestly necessary.  With the sonic build of a band such as Dens, if great attention isn't given to each element and instrument, there is a huge risk of everything becoming muddy and muddled together.  Fortunately, that is not an issue here, as it is relatively easy to pick out a single guitar, for example, and follow its line throughout a particular song, with the intentional "messiness" of "To" being the chosen exception.  As I stated above, I don't have a physical copy of the CD, so I don't have access to lyrics or liner notes, so I can't comment on packaging here, but generally speaking, Facedown does a good job in this area.

I don't really know who to compare the band to if you have never heard them, because as I pointed out, Dens is really hard to pin down.  There are elements of Attalus in the sound, but the odds are most readers won't know who that is, so that's not a lot of help.  Just know going in that this is lot of record to take in all at once, as there are so many moving parts.  Lyrically deep and musically intense, Dens should be a force to be reckoned with in the heavy music scene if they are given the chance to impact the market.

Rating:  Crank this full-length debut from Dens to a 7.5!

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