Reviewed by Steven Ecott

This is the fifth studio release from the metalcore veterans and was produced by the acclaimed Will Putney (Like Moths To Flames, Impending Doom). For Today's previous album 'Immortal' charted number 1 on the Billboard US Rock chart and Christian chart, so the bar was definitely set high for a follow up. 'Fight The Silence' takes a blunter and more explicit approach to lyrics than ever before with vocalist Mattie Montgomery tackling serious issues such as slavery and prostitution. The album kicks things off with "Molotov", a disappointingly mediocre effort that combines traditional down tempo guitars, fast screeched and clean vocals that all just sound rather grey and dull. But wait, the title track is anything but dull and is one of the strongest on the album. Spoken words combined with heavy guitar riffs and growled vocals really set the pace for the rest of the record. "Fatherless" is arguably the highlight. Set to emotionally charged lyrics, the anthem-like track demonstrates impressively tight playing. But aside from these highlights the whole record suffers from a serious case of déjà vu. With pretty much every track sounding the same with their repeated patterns of 'breakdown-chorus-breakdown' making for very dull listening. In truth there is nothing that really separates 'Fight The Silence' from the hundreds of other metalcore records that are released every year. Whilst there are a couple of great tracks, the album is hindered by a lack of musical imagination, with its only saving grace coming from Montgomery's heartfelt lyrics.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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