At the time of this writing, this album hasn't been released nationwide yet (check out their website at http://listen.to/crutch for more info on that).
Here's a CD that you, the extreme Christian metal freak, should greatly anticipate. This is METAL. Yep, capital M, capital E, capital...you get the idea. The overall vibe of this CD is classic thrash with death leanings (mostly on account of the vocal style). Imagine Possession without the high falsetto vocals and just the straight-on Death (the band) vocalizing, the music a bit more tightly focused and the production value given a massive spit-and-polish, and you've got Crutch. The lyrics are of the self-reflective type, mostly coming off as lamenting the wrongs we do as fallen creatures (those who question writing about such despairing stuff I feel should re-read the Psalms, but that's just me), but has that ray of hope in our Saviour.
(sample lyrics: "Cast off the shackles of haunted memories / Embrace the beauty of healing love and redemption/ Embrace a new beginning / Leave behind all fear and trembling" from "Embrace The Beauty").
Christian metal, I feel, is long overdue for a massive renaissance, and Crutch's Amidst Despair Hope Prevails is one that should be placed in your collection.
9/10
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #98Reviewed by Doug Van PeltThis band unleash credible and furious metalcore with singing guitars and death/black shrieking vox. Beautifully intense.Dead Zine 2001Reviewed by Hey YouThe first thing I'm going to say is get this album as fast as you can. This is THE BEST Christian death metal album I have ever heard. That includes the newest Soul Embraced, Crimson Thorn, and any other album you can throw out. This is also one of the best overall death metal albums I have heard. It's just plain genius. It's crazy, beautiful, and brutal. There are parts that just make you sit…Dead Zine 2001Reviewed by D_ListerA lot has been made of this band, and my biggest regret is that I waited until Burning Records finally re-released this album otherwise I could have been enjoying this incredible material a long time ago. (For those who didn't know, the band released the album on their own and then it was picked up and re-released by Burning Records, but it took some time to get it released.) Bottom line is all…Similar sounding releases
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