Reviewed by Christian Cunningham

Causing a real stir across the pond, For Today have emerged as one of the more talked about bands of this current crop of metalcore hopefuls, both in the mainstream and Christian scene. Their last album 'Breaker' saw their sound coalesce into a formidably marketable package so that the mainstream's Razor & Tie Records saw fit to sign the band. On the evidence of 'Immortal', it will prove an excellent business decision. With a top quality production job from Will Putney (Lamb Of God) 'Immortal' kicks off with a strings-driven intro "The King" complete with many rousing samples of legendary preachers to ratchet up the spiritual intensity from the outset, a theme that extends throughout the entirety of the album, due in large part to the frankly epic lyrics of Mattie Montgomery, the charismatic and impressively leather-lunged frontman. Few hot-blooded Christian metal fans will fail to be moved to punch a fist in the air to the lyrics of "My Confession" ("Call me a fool for this stand/But I would die for that man/My King is alive!/My King is alive!") or "Open Eyes" ("The Rising Son/Is all I see/The Bright and Shining One/Who died for me"). Such passionate declaration is accompanied by some of the most exciting riffing you will hear in today's metalcore scene. Guitarists Mike Reynolds and Ryan Leitru lay down a savagely spectacular array of breakdowns, from the grind of "Set Apart's" closing riff to the suffocating intensity of "Stand Defiant". With a rhythm section heavyweight enough to power industrial locomotives, For Today's "engine" runs to perfection with no misfiring in earshot. There are also notable contributions from Sonny Sonderval of P.O.D. (sounding in better form on "The Only Name" than he has for many years) and Jake Luhrs of August Burns Red. This is one hard music release that all devotees of the genre need to investigate.

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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