CHRISTCORE: REVIEWS

CD Review: Hello Bella "Kaitlin's Song (Coming Home)[Feat. Phao]"

Sat, 05 May 2012 10:23:44 -0600

Kaitlin Boyd’s story is one of triumph and heartache, but it is a story most of us can learn from if we will take a moment to listen. In 2010 Kaitlin was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Instead of letting this weigh her down, she decided to help out with clean water programs in the third world country of Uganda. Without her and Compassion Canada they would have no access to clean water. Kaitlin even went as far as turning down a trip from Children’s Wish Foundation and again showed selflessness when she insisted that money being directed to building wells in Uganda. Sadly she would only be able to do this work until 2011, when she passed away. Now her legacy lives on through a foundation started by her loved ones, called Kaitlin's Legacy, which was created to take on the mission of providing clean water to the world. This whole story led to the creation of “Kaitlin's Song (Coming Home)"; all proceeds from this song's sales benefit Kaitlin's Legacy. Now down to the nitty-gritty of the song itself. The vocals are done by Stephanie Poort of the Canadian band Hello Bello, and the music is handled by pop/rock newcomers Phao.&...

CD Review: The Burial "Lights And Perfections"

Sat, 05 May 2012 10:17:37 -0600

When Facedown first announced they were bringing up the little Christian metal band The Burial from Strike First Records, I took no real notice, except to maybe log it away for safe keeping. The same thing happened a few weeks ago when I was sent their new album, Lights and Perfections. My first reaction was “they're coming out with a new album? Well, I guess.” This went on until one day I decided to listen to this album, even if I didn't think much of it, then BAM! The album started and my mind was officially blown.... The intro of this album reminded me of Becoming The Archetype. That whole flavor is carried throughout the rest of Lights and Perfections. I simultaneously really dug Elisha Mullins' screams, vocals that made me think of a cross between For Today's Mattie Montgomery and BTA's Chris McCane. However, his vocals can get a little gritty in the bad way. The music is dominated by Todd Hatfield's screaming guitars, amplifying the progressive metal feel. His driving, sick guitar solos are one of the main highlights of this record. There is not much else to say, since nobody ever sends me a lyric sheet and because I can'...

CD Review: Emery "We Do What We Want"

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:49:04 -0600

I remember it was in the early 2000s. I was hanging out with some friends in the living room, watching a DVD of Christian music videos. I was pretty bored. See, I had this theory of ignorance that Christian musicians had a code where they could only play a genre full of the same four chords and gentle lyrics. This was all I had ever been exposed to before, but then it happened, the moment that unlocked a whole new idea: Emery’s music video for “Walls” played (from their debut album, A Weak’s End). Up to that point I had no idea that Christian music could be so passionate or intricate, and just like that, I was hooked. For about a decade, Emery has been making unique music that pushes limits and has inspired a generation of musicians. For many, they were the first glimpse at Christian music that isn’t played during a Sunday morning church service. After two years and the indefinite hiatus of vocalist/bassist Devin Shelton, they created their fifth full-length album, We Do What We Want. According to the band members, it is thought to be the most hardcore album the band has created, though an unexpected sound is nothing new for this band...

CD Review: SONS "Keep Quiet"

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 11:34:46 -0600

I can't even remember when I first heard about a band formerly called Sons of God, but I know it must have been when they released a mind-blowing EP on Come&Live!. After launching a successful kickstarter, Sons of God went quiet, hardly updating on anything except that they were working on a new album and had a big announcement coming soon. The big piece of news would become that they were changing their name to just SONS and that they had signed a record deal with Slospeak. Another gigantic A-bomb they dropped on their fans is that SONS was going to be releasing their long-awaited album Keep Quiet on February 14. By now you might be asking, who is SONS? Well they are an indie rock band in the veins of major no-bands'-land. Their sound is unique, so it is going to be hard to compare them to any band that is out there. SONS is a band that people are going to be copying here soon. So you might be thinking that I’m avoiding telling you what they sound like. So here is my description if somebody put a gun to my head and told me I had 30seconds to describe their influences: “They are a passionate, but thoughtful independent rock band borrowing sounds from ...

CD Review: Fireflight "Now"

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 20:53:39 -0600

It was in 2006 that Fireflight released their debut album, The Healing of Harms, and since then they have released three other full-length releases, the latest being Now. Since it had been about two years since Fireflight’s last album, I was looking forward to some new tunes from the band. Ever since their first album I have always enjoyed Fireflight’s music. I have always enjoyed Dawn Michele’s soaring vocals and the band’s brand of hard rock. Along with that I have always found their lyrics to be great anthems that focused heavily on issues people deal with regularly in life. This has sort of become the formula for Fireflight on each of their albums; generally they are able to produce some great new tracks and do it tastefully enough that I haven’t minded the similar style. However, on Now, I sadly am feeling like this is rather similar to past material. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but when several of these tracks don’t outdo past material, it is a bit of a letdown. “Stay Close” starts off the album with great guitar riffs and powerful vocals. It is definitely a great rock track and a hi...