Showbread - The Fear of God
Rating
RIYL
Nine Inch NailsRefused
Mewithoutyou
Release Date
08/11/2009
Label
Tooth And NailTracklist
1) I’m Lost2) Nothing Matters Anymore
3) Lost Connection with the Head
4) Regret Consumes Me
5) Out of my Mind
6) Vehement
7) The Great Emasculation
8) Shepherd, No Sheep
9) Let There Be Raw
10) I Think I’m Going to See You
11) Precursor
12) The Fear of God
13) Until We Meet Again
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I almost didn’t recognize this incarnation of Showbread when I came across their new promo pictures. The band has been whittled down from the seven-member hydra that I remember, appearing now as a 4 piece, with what looks like only 3 original members. Fortunately for Showbread fans, the band’s sound still fits in with their past efforts. While they’ve always been bent on exploring themselves musically and mentally, the group is committed to what they’ve deemed their “raw rock” sound.
Indeed the raw side is where the band shines. Singer Josh Dies has an exquisite, throaty shriek that propels the frantic pacing of many of the songs. Supported by alternately melodic and dissonant guitars, space-age electronics, and a flair for the flamboyant, Dies and his band are capable of creating a frenetic atmosphere that can be quite satisfying to get caught up in.
The band's rock and roll sound manages to work pretty well with their more melodic electronics. Professed Nine Inch Nails fans, Showbread take some obvious cues from their heroes on tracks like “Regret Consumes Me,” “The Great Emasculation,” and “Let There Be Raw,” the latter’s chorus opening into massive head-banging chant of “RAW!” Other pros on the album include the Refused-inspired opening track “Nothing Matters Anymore,” and the more original swagger of the album’s single, “Lost Communication with the Head.”
Like most albums, though, not everything works out in the band’s favor. I miss the two-singer dynamic provided by former co-vocalist Ivory Mobley. The result has Dies filling all the space and venturing more into singing territory that, for all intents and purposes, fails more often than it succeeds. While a shouter he is, a singer Dies is not, and subsequently his sung vocals usually feel meandering, awkward, and lacking in coherent melody. This shortcoming leads to the band’s mellower moments sounding more like b-side skate punk ballads. “Shepherd, No Sheep,” for example, sounds like something from More Betterness era No Use For A Name (but probably something they’d have left on the cutting room floor). Similarly the band falls short on tracks like “I Think I’m Going to See You” and title track “The Fear of God,” both of which suffer from the aforementioned vocal issues coupled with forgettable instrumentation.
If nothing else, Showbread are true to their convictions. While the album is not shy about their devout Christianity, it never feels exclusive. As a non-religious person, I too often feel repelled by preachy, evangelical snobbery in Christian music. Showbread, on the other hand, practice and preach an accepting and non-judgmental doctrine that comes across as genuine and passionate.
This album (and band, for that matter) is not for everyone. Past fans of Showbread will revel in their consistency while naysayers will continue to write them off. However, there is some credible song crafting, elaborate themes, and passionate persistence that make certain tracks worth repeated listens.
--Alex Burton
Comments
Minnesota
This band has always puzzled me. I just don't "get" them. Each album seems like a big mish-mash of yuck with some occassional ok moments tossed in to keep stringing me along to think they have promise.
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Somewhere in New York
I wrote them off after Age of Reptiles. I loved No Sir, Nihilism isn't practical.
"If someone gives you a kazoo and toots around the house to MTV, they're not gonna fuck you." - David Cross
West Haven, CT
God told me to come here and post my opinion on this CD. But since I haven't heard it or listened to them since No Sir. Nihilisim isn't practical, I'll have to dig down.. Oh wait, never mind... There it is, sorry guys Jesus told me to stop reading website reviews. My bad.
The Cityscape Burns Brighter By The Hour.
Waterloo, Ontario
haha mike that was gold. i despise this band.
Top Ten of 2009 http://www.decoymusic.com/users/3747/top_tens/2009