Reviewed by Rob Birtley

As fans will know, For Today are amongst America's most popular Christian hard music teams and here weigh in with their sixth studio album. Like all bands in the metalcore genre they juxtapose the grunting/shouting vocals with more melodic singing. The sound at time reminds me of P.O.D. and at other times Demon Hunter but still remains uniquely their own. "No Truth No Sacrifice" starts this sonic bombardment, a brutal, no holds barred track on the theme of "sickness in the selfishness" pinpointing over indulgence and failure to deny oneself. The virtually spoken appeal for engagement persists with tracks like "Deserter" which balances a blend of melodic pseudo-'80s metal guitar riffage and the crunching vocals encrusted into them. "Deserter" like the chorus on the single "Broken Lens" carries some of the catchiest music on the album without sacrificing the heaviness. "Bitter Roots" begins with stripped back guitar and plays more on a subtle sadness constructed with elaborate vocal melodies fading in and out during a transition into a much heavier, growling finale while "Flooded Earth" opens with a stunning piano segment before ratchetting things up with heart-stopping drums, battering guitars and the best chorus on the whole album. The words "Like a drowning man to a sinking ship/I cling to the things that I know will kill me/Is this all I am?/Is this really it?/It's time to sink or swim" are particularly telling. It would be easy for the band to hide in a repetition of Christian platitudes, but Montgomery's skillful writing ably bridges the gap that both Christians and non-Christians can relate to to produce songs that are truly memorable.

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