Post by The Centurion on Sept 17, 2006 12:16:05 GMT -5
A Love For Enemies-The Harvest
Released-2005
Label-Facedown Records
Genre-Metal Tinged Hardcore
When first recieving this CD I barely listened to it thinking that it was going to just be a generic hardcore CD that wouldnt hold my interests. I was very wrong to judge this CD by its cover. The packaging is very nice, the whole CD(case and all) is housed in a cardboard sleeve that has all the artwork on the front and track listing on the back.
On the the music. A Love for Enemies plays some serious hardcore. I mean some serious stuff. The guitars are heavy as can be, the drumming is fast and tight, the vocals are gutteral and in your face. We all know though that those things are not what makes a hardcore album stand out, they are expected to be there. While not really bringing too much originality to the the table A Love for Enemies is focused more on bringing forth a mood of sincerity and being actually kind of catchy in the process. This CD is full of uplifting melodic parts, but it never takes away from the heaviness. The slowest parts of this CD are the heaviest. The melodic end of things is never overdone and is a nice compliment to the speedy guitars and skull crushing breakdowns. The breakdowns might be a tad overdone on some songs, but it depends really on how much you like hardcore. The only breakdown I really dislike is the one at the end of Angels Dont Burn where the whole songs stops for a few seconds and then the pounding comes in, I thought that was kind of cheesy. Overall though this CD only clocks in at 31 minutes, which is a good length for this kind of CD seeing that if it was longer, it would start to get old. This is not one of those CD's that one might like the first time they hear it though. Its something youve got to really pay attention to and read along with the lyrics and only then youll see how the melodic parts compliment the lyrics being screamed. My personal favorite song on the disc is My Days Are Vanity because of the metal tinged chorus, id love to hear this band incorporate a tad bit more metal into their sound so we could hear more songs like this one.
Lyrically A Love For Enemies makes me realize there is still hope for spirit filled hardcore. This scene is making a huge comeback and A Love For Enemies contributes with everything they've got. Their songs speak a positive alternative to all the pain and hate in the world. The encourage the listener to look to Christ for hope and not people. They strike a great balance between being biblical and dealing with personal issues in their lives. These things blend together the way they should in our lives as Christians. They round all the corners tackling issues like pride, rebellion, suicide, and even addiction.
Overall this is not the most groundbreaking release ever, but it shows that there is good Christian hardcore music out there. It is heavy, melodic, and convicting which is exactly the type of inspiration we need in this decaying world.
-Reviewed by Dan