The Meltdown 97

New music from Flyleaf and Further Seems Forever. Plus tracks from Emery and mewithoutYou.

Flyleaf - New Horizons

Announcing that Lacey Sturm was leaving Flyleaf right before the release of the band's third full-length, New Horizons, really brings a different perspective to the album name and title track. It brings an interesting perspective to listening to the album.

New Horizons might be a new chapter for Flyleaf but fans of the bands won't be disappointed with Sturm's final outing. While there are more melodic elements on New Horizons, the album is still all Flyleaf. Fire Fire has a great riff that brings the album in softly before exploding into the chorus. New Horizons was a perfect lead single. A great melody and catchy hook keep the track light and fresh, perfect for radio play. Lyrically New Horizons is about a fresh perspective and hope. No matter how bad life seems, there's always some better to come. And it's a reminder that lyrically is where Flyleaf could really miss Lacey. Her hope and faith, always coming through in every song she wrote, was the real draw and appeal of the band and is going to be a hard to replace her honesty.

There are some great ballads (Cage on the Ground, Great Love, Saving Grace) and some really nice hard hitting tracks (Call You Out, Green Hearts) that really make New Horizons a balanced record. It's a great way to close this chapter of Flyleaf. Lacey will be missed for sure but it's good to hear her voice one last time.

The Meltdown 96

New music from Further Seems Forever, Tourniquet, The Wedding, Lecrae, and Anberlin.

Further Seems Forever - Penny Black

I've been excited about a lot of reunions but Further Seems Forever might be my favorite. Hearing New Year's Project made me an instant fan. When the band released The Moon is Down, I loved it and I am one of the few lucky people who got the see FSF with Chris before he split. The band was never the same for me after he left. Jason was fine and I really liked Hide Nothing but nothing they released post The Moon is Down had quite the same impact for me.

Penny Black is 100% Further Seems Forever. I knew the album would be good after hearing So Cold but the song didn't have that classic FSF feel. But fans should fear not. Penny Black doesn't sound anything like Dashboard Confessional (who I honestly, also love). This is Further Seems Forever.

So Cold is a great opening track to the record and a great re-introduction to FSF with Chris on vocals. Rescue Trained is a great track that should put anyone's fears to rest. While I don't get the subtle, but always present, autotune on Carrabba's vocals, it doesn't hurt the song. Way Down and Kings Canyon have an aggression in Carrabba's vocals that I've never heard.

Lyrically Penny Black is about relationships but Carrabba's metaphors hide deeper meanings like they did on The Moon is Down. There's a complication to the lyrics that Dashboard Confessional is often times missing.

Penny Black is the follow-up to The Moon is Down that Further Seems Forever fans never really got. I know a lot of people loved Jason Gleason and thought he fit FSF better as a vocalist but I always loved The Moon is Down. And hearing Chris Carrabba back on lead vocals feels right.

Anberlin - Vital

Anberlin makes good records. Period. While I've not always gushed over everything the band has put out, there's no denying that the boys in Anberlin knowhow to write a great song.

While the band's last two albums might not have been fans favorites, they both showcased a polished and more mature side of Anberlin.

Vital finds a way to capture the raw rock attitude of the first three albums without giving up the polished sound. Self-Starter packs a punch with a solid groove driving the song. Little Tyrants is a more straight forward four on the floor rock and roll song. Each of the two opening tracks delivers an energy that Dark Is The Way was missing. Other Side is more electronic than anything Anberlin has done in the past. The chorus rings full and rocking but the electronics are what grab my attention. It's has a feel almost similar to some of vocalist's Stephen Christian's side project, Anchor and Braille. Someone Anyone is the gem of the album. The driving synth line melody and the catchy as all get out hook make this track unforgettable. Intentions is another groove and synth heavy track.

Innocent is the first ballad of the record and is a nice change of pace before Desires cranks things back up to 11. Type-Three is a more typical Anberlin ballad (more acoustic driven). Orpheum and Modern Age in very different ways continue the Killers-esque vibe that most the record has. God, Drugs, & Sex ends the record on an interesting note. Super spacey, the track features guest vocals from Christie DuPree and is as epic as Anberlin has ever gotten... Yet the track isn't epic in most conventional ways. 

Vital is both a return to form and something completely different for Anberlin. Maybe not the band's best record to date but without a doubt their most interesting and diverse. A great record start to finish. 

The Meltdown 95

New music from Anberlin, Propaganda, The Wedding, Lecrae, Wolves At The Gate, and more.

Onward To Olympas - Indicator

Thirds times the charm or three strikes and you're out?

That's the question I asked going into Onward to Olympas' third full-legnth. The band's previous two efforts fell flat and while I thought there was improvement on The War Within Us, I've still been waiting for something more or different from OTO.

Indicator is more miss than hit. In fact, I think it's mostly a miss. The hardcore/metal elements of Indicator are on point and it's some of the best music OTO has delivered to date. But what is lost on me are the clean vocals and how they are arranged.

Strange Forest kicks the album off on a really stellar note but then the album takes a weird turn in arrangement and the clean vocals sound out of place. Wolf's Jaw again hits hard and the clean vocals seem less out of place and odd but it's still so commonplace that it doesn't leave any impression. The transitions on each song between that parts are rough and when it's accomplished successfully (Division) it's just an ok moment.

Indicator also plays short and it actually hurts the album. While, the songs get lost on me, it's a decent background soundtrack and when it's over I'm shocked at short it is.

Onward To Olympas continues to be a band I don't get or appreciate.