Aug
23
Album Review: For Today-Breaker
It gives the listener hope, it gives them power, it fills you with a divine over-whelming sense of peace, and that’s just the first song.
I waited a long time for this album. I heard from For Today’s vocalist Mattie Montgomery that “This album is going to be the most confrontational album ever written.” Hearing that I had no idea what to expect. I will be honest and say I did not expect a lot. The album opens with the song “Devastator.” A powerful song with the most different sounding riff I have ever heard near the beginning. The lyrics start the album by saying “Hell! Fear me! I am the one the one that will bring you down!” and “Let my name be feared at the gates of hell!” When you hear the passion in Mattie’s voice you cant help but feel powerful. The lyrics are your traditional For Today lyrics, based solely around the “end times” and the book of Revelation from the bible. Now on to the new and improved sound.
For me, I was never a fan of the tone For Today had. It seemed very bland, and not in your face. Yes, there were 808’s and bass drops and china cymbal, but on the previous albums, For Today seemed like there was no meat behind the sound. I can’t tell you how happy I am about their new sound. You immediately get hit in the face and chest with a wall of sound. Everything sounds to be so much thicker. The cymbals are more clearly recorded, and the drum set sounds like the toms are lit on fire! The vocals are amazing as well. Instead of just one track of vocals, you have many layers with different screams and some very cool computer effects. There is a part in the song “Seraphim” where Mattie commands to have the “Burning ones A-r-i-i-i-i-se!” and the computer chops it up which makes it sound amazing. Mattie has so much energy and passion in his lyrics that you cant help but do what he tells us to. Some negatives I will have to post is that the album does seem to get pretty repetitive after a while. You hear the same chugging chords over a sweeping guitar and to be honest, sweeps to me sound the same after a while. Although impressive, I feel like if they went by the old saying “less is more” it would be much more impressive.
I was skeptical before this album came out. I always supported For Today for their positive message and encouraging lyrics, and I knew this album would make or break the band. With this being said, I trust this will be the album of the year. You cant get heavier, more melodic, more passionate and more spiritual. No matter what your views on life are, this album is for you. Give it a run through. If the sheer brutality of the songs don’t break you down, then the 4 spoken word poems in the album will have you FaceDown. I must add, the final track is without a doubt my favorite track on the album. I got choked up listening to it.
-Matt C
For the ones wondering, the song off this album titled “The Advocate” has 10 bass drops making for 1 bass drop every :23 seconds =)
