Call To Preserve - Life of Defiance
Rating
RIYL
AdventTerror
Reign Supreme
Release Date
06/08/2010
Label
Facedown RecordsTracklist
1. Life of Defiance2. Drawing Lines on All Sides
3. Empty Promises
4. The Weight
5. Functionary
6. Desoto
7. Thin Skin
8. Across the Isle
9. Holding Embers
10. Lost at Sea
11. Last Look Back
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Florida's Call to Preserve is one of the bands at the forefront of the Christian hardcore scene, trying to make an impact and bring back what bands like Seventh Star accomplished years before. Along with groups like North Carolina's seriously pissed Advent and other up and coming artists, Call to Preserve provides a straightforward message of hope and perseverance. The five piece's third album, Life of Defiance, continues a stream of steady output from the group and is their second on Christian mainstay Facedown Records.
Life of Defiance opens with its title track, something reminiscent of a Modern Life is War track in the way that thick chords change subtly to create a solemn intro. The slow and gritty introduction moves into “Drawing Lines on All Sides,” which paints a clear picture of the band's overall sound. The drum-driven “Empty Promises” is next, continuing a theme of sludgy, bass and drum oriented songs that outline the band's musical profile. The next standout track, “Functionary,” harbors one of the album's best riffs, combining simplicity with the group's trademark heavy sound. The thrashy riff gives way to a Life In Your Way-esque intro to “Desoto,” which is a cry urging college-aged kids to follow their hearts out of the “empty promises” and “drunken nights” that come with that stage of life. “Thin Skin” seems to be following in a similarly melodic vein, but quickly returns to the band's heavier side. The rasp of the band's vocalist, combined with the crawling tempo of the track and the positive lyrics make this one a winner.
“Across the Isle,” the eighth track on the album, is short, but stands out as my favorite. Featuring guest vocals from Advent's Joe Musten, the anti-war song doesn't just attack the war itself, but the religious means by which the government exploits its followers. The intensity of the lyrics and Musten's guest vocals should immediately make you take note; this song just snarls at you. “Holding Embers” brings back the band's melodic side, but not for long as “Lost at Sea” kicks in next. The anti-drinking song is a typical attack on the drinking culture, short and to the point, just as hardcore's straight-edge revolutionaries would have done it. The song fits in oddly between “Holding Embers” and the longest song, “Last Look Back,” which closes the album.
Call to Preserve delivers a quick one-two punch with Life of Defiance, easily making their views known in a timely fashion before the disc ends. The only thing that plagues the group throughout the endeavor is their reluctance to step outside of the box and the fact that most of the songs are indistinguishable from the next. The lyrics are great, the music is great, and the atmosphere is their own, but all in all, the songs just don't stand out unless you're sitting down with them objectively. It's easy to start the album and get lost completely between the first track and the intro to “Desoto,” so if you're a fan of the band and the genre in general, pick it up. If you're looking to get into the genre as a beginner, however, you might want to look elsewhere.
--Cody Rogers
Comments
Lehigh Valley, PA
This album is pretty tight. Haven't given it too much attention yet but the one thing I can say about it is that it's a bit more melodic compared to their other stuff, which is rad.
Minnesota
I've always dug this band. You definitely know exactly what you'll get from them with each album :-)
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Infinitely Inwards
The last sentence in the review is for me.
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