I'll be honest. When I first got this CD in the mail I got it at a time when I had received a lot of other CDs that far overshadowed it. I did listen to it right away, and thought it was ok but put it down to listen to other CDs frequently in that time. As time went on I began to dread having to write a review of this CD only really remembering that I chose not to listen to it much. Since having picked it back up to start really digesting the material on this CD I find I'm very stunned by the musicianship presented. I simply chose to gloss over it on the first listen and am the lesser for it.
Tim Rhodes has quite a good CD here. Despite the artist having dubbed it 'Faith Metal' and despite that being a pretty good term, I'd have to generally call it groove metal as it's thick and chunky (which is a good thing people!) Track one is by and far the standout track, called 'Archangel', in which Tim's vocals remind me of Steve Rowe's vocals when he's singing...only Tim does a really good job on them.
The guitars, well the only real term I can use is the one that instantly came to mind: the guitars are ballsy. Sorry if that's offensive but it just seems to fit, they are huge, heavy, thick, mean, but not overly aggressive, no, ballsy seems to be spot on. With the use of some acoustic guitars for atmosphere, there is no lack of creativity worked in here. All the vocals and guitars are performed by Tim just FYI.
The drums and bass guitars are handled by Mike Swaney, the only other member of the band according to the CD insert. The bass is pretty standard, really creating a backbone for the rest of the instruments, but Mike does REALLY shine on the drums. I really enjoyed listening to his work on this CD, nothing overly shocking, not a lot of double bass or super intricate fills, but what is there is handled with precision and fits the music perfectly without becoming boring.
Bottom line is this is a really good CD packed with tons of exactly what God sent Tim to be packing his music with: FAITH METAL. The lyrics are as strong as they get on any release out there. You owe it to yourself to hit Tim's website and at least check out the MP3's. I think before too long you'll find yourself ordering this CD. A definite must for fans of Faithbomb, Eloi, Eternal Decision or any similar.
8.5/10
