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Label: Rise Records - Rating:
Let’s take a walk down Memory Lane, shall we? A couple decades a go there was a big movement from the Conservative “Christian” Right to ban and censor heavy metal music. We’ve all heard the stories about it being the devil’s music. Fans of this type of music must have been devil worshippers. The founders of this movement just wanted to “protect the children.”
So what happens when a future generation uses the same “style” of music in the name of God??? Christian rockers out of Rockford, Illinois, The Color Morale have done just that with their debut release from Rise Records, We All Have Demons (released September 1st). Teaming up with producer Joey Sturgis (The Devil Wears Prada, Attack Attack!), the boys from Illinois have created a post-hardcore album with purpose.
Strong guitar work, dynamic melodies, heavy breakdowns and lyrics with a positive message are the meat & potatoes of this album. The band consists of Garret Rapp (vocals), Ramon Mendoza (guitar), John Bross (guitar, vocals), Justin Heiser (bass, vocals) & Steve Carey (drums). The majority of these guys have been playing together for almost five years and you can hear it in how tight they play.
The Color Morale have created something here that has been lacking in the genre of Christian music (anybody remember Stryper???). What’s more intriguing is that they have crafted a product that could easily cross over to main stream. Why pigeonhole them as a “Christian Rock” band? They aren’t out to preach and songs with powerful positive messages were never considered a bad thing.
The way he band combines singing with the more hardcore screaming plays very well together. Unlike most bands of this genre, where the band goes and rips it up to show how technically strong they are, I get the feeling that The Color Morale reins it in on this album. You can definitely tell they can play. They give you just enough muscle flexing to prove it. They just don’t rip off their shirts and go overboard. This is a sign of maturity and will help them as they progress.
This band has put together an impressive product, but what grabs me are the songs that a bit more dynamic in nature. “Resource: Recourse” and the combination of “Manumission” & “The Man Behind the Hands” are good examples. The two best tracks on the album are “Hopes Anchor” and “I, the Jury” though.
So if you’ve gotten a little tired of the ballads and acoustic guitar and want to rip it up a little, check out The Color Morale. Oh, and please send a copy to Tipper Gore…
If you like these guys, check out The Devil Wears Prada, Relient K.
