|
 
If you’re anything like myself when it comes to hard rock and metal bands, the last thing to expect is for a new band to sound like an exact replica of a band before them that has already established the sound that they are experimenting with. In 2006, many critics accused the band Red of sounding too much like Linkin Park, despite the fact that they only presented a similar style in a few songs. With the April 1 release of For Today’s Ekklesia, many might be turned off by the fact that they sound way too similar with the band Zao, who nearly perfected a brutal hardcore sound to call their own more than a decade ago. However, this Sioux City, IA band had their Facedown Records debut produced by Jamie King (Between the Buried and Me, The Human Abstract), so not all hope is lost for this Midwest act.
Unfortunately, the guitar breakdowns and the occasional symphonic melodies only take the band so far as a whole. Throughout most of For Today’s album, singer Matt Montgomery sounds like a raspier version of lead vocalist Daniel Weyandt(Zao) and might confuse the listener into which band he is actually listening to. Even the songs are difficult to follow chronologically, particularly the song “Redemption,” which seemingly was misplaced in the album’s track order as the second song on the album when in actuality it doesn’t appear until halfway through the album itself. “Ready for the Fight” is also incidentally tagged along to the lyrics of “Never Lose Sight of the Goals” in the liner notes, possibly causing the listener to assume that the vocalist purposely forgot which song he was singing at the time it was recorded. One thing that the band prides themselves on are double bass kicks and tight guitar riffs, which does only the minimum to save Ekklesia from being a complete letdown, unless one listening doesn’t care too much about how well a lyricist does or doesn’t flow with the rest of the band.
Regardless of poor vocal delivery, many of the album’s songs do reflect around Christ-centered themes with plenty of enthusiasm and charisma. “Infantry” is all about spiritual warfare, boasting the lyrics ‘This world will do anything/to release its demons at all costs/We’ll fight back with all we have/making a difference for our God.’ The rugged “Agape” is a simple and straightforward message describing the love of God, whereas “Never Lose Sight of the Goals” encourages pressing on to acheive spiritual honor with the lyrics ‘We will never give up/and He will never back down/Seek and live everyday/to never worry what he’ll say.’
Needless to say, For Today’s awkward combination of well crafted melodies coupled with somewhat raspy vocals are in dire need of improvement. But in all fairness, they might find a fanbase amongst their hometown crowd in Iowa and surrounding states for anyone who’s not too big on originality and cleverness in within a specific hardcore or metal band. Overall, For Today’s Ekklesia is an acquired taste and may take repeated listens to appreciate the band’s style.
| Production | 8 | | Lyrics | 5 | | Message | 6 | | Overall Quality
6 |
Release Date: April 1, 2008
Label: Facedown Records
Track Listing
1. Intro
2. Infantry
3. Redemption
4. Agape
5. Never Lose Sight of the Goals
6. Instrumental
7. Words of Hope
8. Ready for the Fight
9. A Higher Standard
10. With a Passion Burning
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
