Crutch

Item: ...Hope Prevails
Author: Hey You

...Hope Prevails

(2001)

Reviewed by Hey You

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Label Burning RecordsDead Zine2001

black metal death metal metalcore thrash metal

The 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 there in awe. The production is really really well done, which is a HUGE plus. They have the crazy running up and down of the fret board similar to Dillinger, and the real creative thing is they do the same fingering on an acoustic guitar that they do on the electric. Their breakdowns are so well transitioned, as in the case of "A Cold Dark Whisper," where there is a really cool part when the vocalist is screaming a high black-like scream acapella, then a really awesome acoustic part with eerie keyboards comes in followed by a Rocky Gray-esque solo. The overall guitar work is summed by the word "WOW." Imagine the fast-as-all-heck guitar work of Corey Steger, who was in Underoath, with the crazy solos of the aforementioned Rocky Gray, coupled in with the creativity and genius of, well, no one in particular, only because no one is this good. The drumming is just as awesome. It just moves right along with the guitars. The drumming is the part where you can tell how good the production really is. The double bass is really really pounding, but not overpowering. They still allow the rest of the drums and the rest of the music to blend together, but still crush you. The music is constantly running all over, but sometimes settles into an ill groove that just has some kind of crazy music, whether it is drums or guitar. The vocals aren't really deep, or really high, but they are perfect. They are high, much like Zao, but more raw and a tiny bit deeper. The low vocals are not as low as Crimson Thorn or Dying Fetus, but they are more like Soul Embraced. The vocals fit in very well, but they are normal enough not to take anything away from the music, but also cool enough to drive the music along. But don't be deterred, they sometimes go really deep. Not often, but sometimes. With all that greatness, one might almost forget the best part, that being the lyrics. They do seem to be very introspective, but not to the point of being monotonous and overbearing. They are very poetic and beautiful, and very straightforward. It really seems as though the words weren't thought of, but just came out. So many bands have words that you can tell were forced, or weren't thought of as important. This is not the case with Crutch. For instance, take some lyrics from the song "Obscured Reflection."

"Gazing into the eyes of a new creation, the intrinsic nature of design cannot be denied. Stonehearted, stubborn mindset locked into a foolish confidence. Skeptical of miracles, yet miracles form the foundation of the rational alternative. 'Everything arose from nothing. Limitless complexity self-induced from chaos.' "

As you can tell, a very intellectual mind wrote these lyrics, which is the way I like (I hate to say it, but I relate better...I dunno...I'm weird). To wrap up, take every band you truly adore, and take the coolest, most amazing, and awesome thing from those bands, and lump them all together in a very artistic fashion, and you have Crutch, my new favorite band. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, the last track is a cool sermon done by a Pastor (I assume it's their pastor). Really cool.

10/10