The Meltdown 75

New music from mewithoutYou, Trip Lee, Love and Death, War of Ages and more.

Moving Mountains - New Light EP

Waves was one of my favorite albums last year. It came out of nowhere. I'm not even sure how I got a hold of that record or where the knowledge of Moving Mountains came from but once I heard the record I was glad I did. It blew me away. So of course I was stoked for a new ep.

New Light is an acoustic ep featuring two tracks from Waves and two from Pneuma. What makes Moving Mountains such a great band is the atmosphere they create, so stripping that away gives the songs a new life. Alleviate was the "heaviest" track on Waves and it makes sense that it kicks off New Light. The screaming is gone and the song has a serene quality about it that isn't on the original. You can really hear the Appleseed Cast influence on Ode We Will Bury Ourselves. Stripping it back and making this epic eight minute song a track that clocks in at under five minutes really changes the dynamic. Where Two Bodies Lie is one of my favorite tracks on Waves and hearing the acoustic version is really nice. 8105 brings back in some of the ambience that Moving Mountains does really well.

The songs aren't new but they feel like new life has been breathed into them. New Light is just more great music from Moving Mountains.

Love and Death - Chemicals EP

Love and Death is the band I think everyone wishes Korn would have become. Love and Death is the new band from Brian Head Welch. It's the band he's been touring with for the past couple of years and the name change brings a fresh start for Head. Chemicals is a nice way to give fans a glimpse at what the band is going to sound like on their full-length (due out later this year).

Like I said, Love and Death is what I, and I think most people, wish Korn still sounded like. Or ever sounded like. For Head, Chemicals is a step up from Save Me From Myself. Having seen Head live, his live show was always more brutal and the songs from Save Me From Myself worked way better live than they did on the record.

Chemicals on the other hand is stellar. The songs are heavy, driving, and all around well done. My issue is the songs are so good that I want more. A lot more. I know this ep is just a taste but the taste makes me want more. And that's the point of the ep right?

5 songs. 2 originals, 1 cover, and 2 remixes.

Paralyzed kicks the ep off. The intro reminds me of the great tracks on Korn's first three records. Great atmosphere before the intro riff kicks in. And then the song explodes. The hook is catchy but the song is straight up brutal. When the bridge drops and the track crescendos... Just wow. Turn your speakers up and get ready to bang your head. Then comes the cover of Whip It. Yes, the Devo song. It might be one of the best covers I've ever heard. If you heard this song on the radio, you would have no clue that this is the Devo track. Even when the chorus comes in you have to double take and ask yourself is this really Whip It? Next up this the title track. Chemicals is a little more hook based. Again, the intro riff is stellar and heavy but the track has a little more atmosphere and electronics that creates great layer on top of great layer.

Both Paralyzed and Chemicals have remixes. Both are well done and give just enough of a twist to the originals that make them fun listens without completely changing up the track.

Love and Death is great and these 5 tracks are enough to make Chemicals one of my favorite albums I've heard this year.  It puts Love and Death's up-coming full-length to the top of my most anticipated albums list.

Ascend The Hill - O Ransomed Son

Take the World But Give Me Jesus, Ascend the Hill's Hymns record was the album that sold me on Come and Live Records. It's a modern take on a bunch of great Hymns and it's one of my favorite worship records ever released. I was excited for the band's follow up.

One of my favorite moments from Take the World is the track None Compare, a spontaneous worship track that plays off of Hallelujah! What A Savior. It's a moving piece where the band just flows and plays. It's what worship is all about. O Ransomed Son is full of tracks that extend and have the band just playing in the moment. Tracks like Inheritance, Whom Have I, You Have My Heart, Song of the Redeemed, and Heaven Come Down, all clock in at over 7 minutes and all just take time at the end to flow.

 It's a great record. Ascend the Hill is passionate worship music that is palpable. You can't help but be drawn in to the music and hear their genuine heart. You can download O Ransomed Son for fee at http://comeandlive.com/downloads/

The Meltdown 74

New music from P.O.D., mewithoutYou, Jimmy Needham, and more.

Thousand Foot Krutch - The End Is Where We Begin

I've never given Thousand Foot Krutch a fair chance. Their debut single Puppet struck me as a terrible christian version of Linkin Park and it was all downhill from there. I've heard tracks from the band I've enjoyed but never enough to give them a listen.

The End Is Where We Begin is one of those albums that makes me want to go back into the band's discography and see what I've been missing.

TFK's latest offering is full of killer grooves and great melodies. It's hip-rock perfection. Trevor McNevan's guitar stylings are really great. There's a great mixture of solid heavy riffs with intricate harmonics and a great sense of melody. The songs have great pocket presence. The drums find the groove and just sit in the pocket. The album has a great flow and movement.

After a pretty clever intro, We Are the Ones blasts in with a killer riff and a strong anthemic hook. Light Up the Sky is another huge track and if you aren't moving and bobbing your head to this track, you're dead. The harmonic picking the kicks off the title track, while short, is a nice touch before the song picks up. It's more of a ballad than the first two tracks but the song still has great movement. Let the Sparks Fly and I Get Wicked kick things back into high gear as McNevan switches back and forth between rhyming, singing, and yelling.

From top to bottom The End is Where We Begin is full of strong hooks and catchy choruses. It's a great album that will get you moving and have you singing along. TFK has delivered a killer record and as someone who has never given this band a shot, I highly recommend picking this album up.

Chris Douglas - Through the Veil

While Hillsong, Gungor, Jesus Culture, and David Crowder top the worship charts and are the writers of the songs sung in thousands of churches every weekend, there is a great crop of young, new, original worship acts releasing great music every week.

Chris Douglas hails from Springfield, Virginia and his debut ep, Through the Veil, was released in early December. Through the Veil is a great introduction and showcase of Douglas' potential. Jesus Saves is a great anthem and declaration to kick the album off. On Fire is a stellar song and a great choice for the album's lead single. The tracks opening guitar riff is fantastic and the hook catchy. It's easily the album's brightest moment.

Reconciliation closes the ep out with a false. It's such a compelling moment that it actually made me really mad when the track just ended. I was so drawn in and interested that I wanted more and I felt a little cheated when the track just ended.

Through the Veil does it's job. It's an introduction to a new young artist and it leaves you wanting more. Douglas' worship is honest and heartfelt. Some of his passion and energy gets a little lost because the production of the album is so slick and tight that Chris Douglas' energy and passion doesn't always translate as well as it might in a live setting or church service.

Nevertheless, Through the Veil is a great ep and I look forward to more music Chris Douglas.