Altars - Something More

I've been a huge Altars fans sing the release of the Strike First Records debut, Opposition. The european metalcore influence of the debut had me hooked. The band switching things up and going the melodic hardcore route on Conclusions didn't stop my fandom. The band was still heavy and the shift in sound was perfect.

On Something More, Altars shifts their style again, and again the band is super successful.

The album's opener and title track, Something More, is a straight up hardcore song in the vein of band's like Comeback Kid and Close Your Eyes. By the time Question Everything finishes, I'm convinced that Something More is a hardcore record. In fact through two songs, Something More sounds like a heavier, better version of Close Your Eyes. But the album begins to shift.

Eternity is a little more like what we heard on Conclusions. Great melodic guitar riff to open the track. The lyrics leading into the breakdown will smack you right in the face.

"Pray for me 
Because we don't see eye to eye 
The word has promised life 
Yet you condemn billions 
Billions to die 
You're committing religious mass genocide"  

The lyrics are a driving point of Something More and Altars gives us some great depth in their lyrics. There's a questioning of faith and the status quo. It's an honest struggle for the listener to hear and even engage in. It's a fresh perspective in Christian hardcore, at least lyrically. And it's nice to hear an album that's engaging  lyrically. The band even takes on the Westboro Baptist Church, with the great message "I will always love you."

Something More is a great hardcore record with a strong message. Altars might not get the same love or press as some of their peers but they should. A band that continues to grow and evolve, and evolve well without taking a misstep, should get credit for trying new things and doing them well without losing what's made them a great band from the start. Something More is another great record from one of Facedown's best artists.