Speakeasy, Stavesacre's latest album, sounds pretty much identical to everything they've done in the past. 9/10ths of the album has that Tool vs. Helmet sound that's worked for them so well in the past, and there's a characteristic slow song in the vein of "Burning Clean." Mark Salomon and company tread very little new water here.
The good news is that it still sounds fresh and new. Stavesacre blasts their way through twelve songs, not letting the quality drop for a second. With Salomon spitting out rapid-fire lines like, "I don't believe this is what God above intended, and I wanted you to know," and guitarist Ryan Denny crunching out riffs like tomorrow died last week, the band sounds better than ever. Only one of the songs, "St. Eriksplan," drags on for too long, with its repeating chorus bordering on annoying:
No one knows
The words I've spoken
The paths I've chosen
The promises that have been broken
There's even a cover of The Cure's classic "Fascination Street," which manages to maintain the moodiness of the original, while adding a whole new intensity. It's been interesting to watch Salomon mature as a lyricist since the cliché-filled days of The Crucified. Few would argue that he's not one of the best lyricists in hard Christian music, and Speakeasy reinforces his ability. The song "Keep Waiting" is a good example:
That was far away from here
Feels like a million miles
Under unfamiliar skies
And more than one way far from dreams I've dreamed
We've seen the blinding light
There was hope, but was there time?
Slow trigger, starting line
Each day of waiting to see eternity
You never left my side
You never left my mind
Every one of these songs is a gem. Stavesacre has a way of making music that seems almost magical. Still, it'd be nice to have a little variety from album to album.
4.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #81Reviewed by Doug Van PeltWhen a group makes music that strikes a chord with its listeners, an anxious anticipation overtakes the audience every couple of years, as they wait for a new collection of songs. The wait is finally over for Stavesacre fans . . . and this fan is grateful. This gratitude took a while to develop, though. Friction the band's debut, was an "instant like" for me. The follow-up, Absolutes, took awhile…Decapolis 2000Reviewed by ConradI have a hard time categorizing these guys. I'll just say Forceful Angular Rock. I don't know what that means either, but it seems to fit. It's hard and not typical in any way. This album has a lot more vocal melody then I've heard of them in the past. Each instrument is going non stop. Drums are super creative - Sam might just be the best drummer I've ever heard. Guitars and bass are moving…Decapolis 2000Reviewed by Tom BastianMost of you have probably heard Stavesacre before. They have been around for quite a while now, been on many national tours, and sold quite a few records. Many refer to them as hardcore, some even say emo, but I don't think those two labels are appropriate at all. This band is a hard rock band, and a good one at that. Their other releases never blew me away, I thought they were pretty good, but…Decapolis 2000Reviewed by TimThis cd is really good. I don't particularly like this band, but this album is just plain rock, and I do like that. Everything (the melodies and arrangement) is above average. My only complaint is that some of the songs run together. BBandoppler 1999Reviewed by Earl Campbell / Jason Dodd / Graham Buck / BruceOpening Review by Earl Campbell Go ahead and open up your email program right now, and get ready to write some hate mail. I am about to pan Stavesacre! Oh, the horror... Hey, just send your venom to Treble, he is the one letting me print this... Anyway, ok tuff guys, here's the deal. This album is weak. One can only speculate on why, maybe an overreaction to being compared to Tool so much, maybe…Art for the Ears 1999Reviewed by Marco PovervestMy first impression of the third record of Stavesacre is that it's different, moving further away from the hardcore roots of these guys. It's not only in the compositions that this is evident, you can hear it in Mark Salomon's singing too. Instead of screaming he tends to sing a whole lot more than before, like you might expect on a modern rock album. But this ain't modern rock either. It still…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Josh MarihughStavesacre's rather unique blend of melodic alternacore begins to sound the same on this, the band's third album. Too much of a good thing, however, can still be a good thing, as this disc fully illustrates. While the band has yet to create a cut to top their classic "At the Moment," a few tracks here come close. "Freefall (From Hand to Hand)" paints a beautiful picture of just what happens when…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Joe RockstrohStavesacre hasn't really changed for this album, despite an HM article where Mark Salomon inferred that this album would be different from its predecessors. Sure, there's a touch more melody, a hint more emo, and the guitars are thicker due to new second guitarist Ryan Denny, but other than that, this is Absolutes repackaged. There's also a lack of the high drama vocal peaks of Salomon that he…Similar sounding releases
2002Cave InTides of Tomorrow
1998Project 86Project 86
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2001TraindodgeOn a Lake of Dead Trees
2005Kids in the WayApparitions of MelodyMore from Stavesacre
1997Absolutes
2002Stavesacre
2001Stavesacre / Denison Marrs
2002Live From Deep Ellum
1996Friction
2001Collective
