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For Tennessee natives Spoken, the past eleven years have been quite a ride for this Southern quintet, with frontman Matt Baird leading the pack throughout the duration of the band’s history together. What started as a rapcore outfit in 1997, sprung into a pre-requesite screamo act at the turn of the century, and developed into a full blown hard rock band with constant screams, Spoken’s music knows no boundaries and has remained diverse with each album. The band’s third LP for Tooth and Nail is no exception as the sound from their “Echoes of the Spirit Still Dwell” era resurfaces, blended with fresh guitar driven hooks and sonic drum beats to bring forth a more modern and maturer sound.
With the opening scream-laced tracks “History Erased,” “Close Your Eyes,” and “Not Soon Forgotten,” evidence proves that Spoken are far from running out of steam both musically and lyrically. One thorough listen to the band’s self titled effort before acknowledging the blood, sweat, and tours poured into this one of a kind project. As with previous albums, Spoken have included cleaner melodies and arrangements while staying true to their hard rock roots, particularly in the explosive “Long Live the Dream” and the emotional yet aggressive “Trading In This Troubled Heart.” With the exception of the phrase “I will not be afraid of anything,” the album’s intermission track “Start the Revolution” is a soothing, rugged instrumental that fits well as an album filler.
Not to be left behind is also the lyrical content, which relies heavily on spiritual and encouraging themes throughout. “When Hope is All You Have” openly references the Creator with the lines ‘When the weight of the world, it seems to be all yours/The hand of Hope will carry you, will carry you through.’ One of the album’s best tracks, “Long Live the Dream,’ Matt urges the listener to not let others get in the way of achieving their hopes and dreams, whereas the closer “The Answer” is an unashamed proclamation that God will have the final say in the end and will stir up the nations upon His return to Earth.
Though arguably Spoken’s best album to date, Matt Baird’s vocals are still an acquired taste for some. Still, the singer’s vocal chords are a minor technicality when combined with the musical prowess of guitarists like Jeff Cunningham and Aaron Weise, power packed with messages of hope and restoration. Spoken continues to increase in talent with each album they release, and with an increasing amount of energy instilled within them, there may be a possibility that they are far from the end of their career as a band.
| Production | 9 | | Lyrics | 9 | | Message | 10 | | Overall Quality
9 |
Release Date: September 25, 2007
Label: Tooth and Nail Records
Track Listing
1. History Erased
2. Close Your Eyes
3. Not Soon Forgotten
4. Trading In This Troubled Heart
5. You're the One
6. Brought to Life
7. Long Live the Dream
8. Start the Revolution
9. The Meaning Of..
10. When Hope is All You Have
11. The Answer
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