No New Kind Of Story Pre-Orders are Live!

The Tooth and Nail Documentary and Picture Book, No New Kind of Story finally has a release date! The official release date is October 1st but all digital downloads of the films that come with pre-orders will be available September 23rd! There are some great bundles with special 20th Anniversary t-shirts, sweatshirts, and more. Go pick this up! http://toothandnail.merchline.com

Anberlin - Lowborn

Anberlin's been headed in a direction where they do what they want musically and if you don't like it, that's too bad. With Lowborn being their final record, they found new ways to push themselves into new directions I wasn't sure he'd see the band go.

And that's ok.

Look, do I like everything the band has done on their last two records? No. But I appreciate a band taking their final piece of work together and continuing to explore new avenues of the creativity that's inside them. They could've made Cities 2.0, but it would've been boring and I imagine the music would've been lacking and disappointing. So kudos to Anberlin for taking some big risks on their swan song.

Lowborn is good. Don't get creativity and good mixed up. Lowborn is the next logical step forward from Vital. Depending on how you felt about Vital, that might be good or bad... Or both.

We Are The Destroyer takes its time to build but when the hook finally hits the song explodes out of your stereo. I would rank it as one of Anberlin's heaviest tracks and the best album opener since Godspeed. Armageddon has an electronic, almost dub step breakdown in the middle of the track that caught me off guard. But the song has a really nice groove and the ever building movement is nice. Stranger Ways is very 80's influenced. And again, I like it, but we three very different tracks to start the album. It showcases the band's influence and range.

Atonement is just one of those great Anberlin ballads where Stephen's vocals drive the song. Birds of Prey eventual has some rock elements but it's a real groove driven electronic song. It's something completely different from Anberlin. Also completely different is Dissenter. But it's different in a very drastic way. We hear Stephen Christian scream for the first time and Dessenter feels very much like a song we would've gotten from Thrice. Of course there's an 80's/electro vibe on the hook but that's doesn't take away from the intensity of the song. It's one of my favorite's on the record.

Anberlin took some risks, and I think largely they pay off and are worth it. It's good to see a band explore and take musical freedom and be truly creative. It's a high note to end a career and Anberlin should be proud. Is it my favorite record from band? No. But I get the feeling that's not what Anberlin was trying to accomplish.

Artifex Pereo - Time In Place

Familiarity. There's something about music that automatically feels like you have a connection to it.

I'm not sure Time In Place is instantly one of those records. While comparisons to Sullivan and Secret and Whisper come to mind, I wasn't instantly drawn to Time In Place on my first listen through. There were moments I thought "ok, I get it", but mostly, I was sadly underwhelmed and a little bored. Which seems silly to say. The riffs are technical and interesting and Artifex Pereo has a knack for changing time signatures on a dime, keeping the listener on their toes. But I wasn't impressed.

The familiarity of Time In Place came with time. Listen after listen I felt myself growing more and more fond of Artifex Pereo. Songs like Liable For Tragedy, Weep and You Weep Alone, and Overview, which feel like they'd fit just as easily in My Epic's catalog. The rest of the record has a great post hardcore, "emo" vibe that is both fresh and nostalgic. Time In Place is far from boring. And I'm not sure why it took a couple of listens for me to really connect with the record.

Artifex Pereo is a great addition to the Tooth and Nail roster. Time In Place is the perfect mix of a fresh new perspective on a genre long since beaten down, while still feeling like a nostalgic hit that you need from time to time.

New Empire - In A Breath

New Empire is Tooth and Nail's first new signing since the label declared they were once again an independent label. So... I was curious as to what that meant as far as the direction the label was headed. Was New Empire an indication of where Tooth and Nail was headed? (The label has since added two other acts and all three bands vary quite drastically in sound).

New Empire is radio friendly. Alt-pop with a tinge of new wave thrown in on occasion. Songs that could find their way into the hearts of CCM fans just as easily as it could fans of Keane, Coldplay, Snow Patrol, and similar bands. Just mainstream enough to not get any indie creed, but on the cusps where it's ok for the cool kids to listen to them.

Tale of Jonah slowly builds into a beautiful indie pop song. The hook is catchy in a weird way. It's beautiful and intoxicating, but it's not necessarily going to get stuck in your head for days. Which might make it the perfect hook. Relight The Fire has all the makings of a CCM super hit. It's an instantly catchy tune that works for both a purely CCM audience and one that's more inclined to listen to indie pop. The chorus is beautiful and the song is steady throughout. It's was made for radio. The Sun Won't Sleep is a gorgeous pop rock song with another excellent hook. Say It Like You Mean has a new wave vibe, but that modern new wave vibe that's been popular over the last 5 years. The subtle intro on In A Breath gives way to a beautiful upbeat chorus, complete with mini choir accompanying the band.

The second half of the record is less memorable. It's not bad. It's not as if New Empire front loaded the record and the b-side is a bunch of throw aways. The songs are good. But they don't have that it factor that the first half of the album has. Wise Fox has a great beat but it feels like the song never gets to this crescendo it's building toward. Fallen Soldiers has all the makings of the second hit single for New Empire. Great hook but the song feels like it's being contained.The little rap section on Left Behind doesn't feel out of place, but it feels like a little forced and unnecessary. Outshine The Brightest is a nice song, reminds me of Copeland, but it's a little weak as an album closer. Again, it's a song that builds up to an unsatisfying ending.

There's a lot of great things about In A Breath. When it's good, it's beautiful pop rock perfection. When it's less than perfect, it's not that's bad, it just feels like it's slightly off. New Empire could be a huge band you're hearing about a lot!

The Meltdown 2.41

New music from Artifex Pero, Tedashi, and Audrey Assad. Plus Rob Jensen from No Lost Cause joins the show.