Reviewed by Greg Sammons

I've got to confess I have a great fondness for Disciple. Though releasing albums independently they were one of the first Christian bands I really got into after my introduction through P.O.D.'s 'Satellite' and I've loved them ever since. So to see them get signed to a big (and brand new) Christian label and then soar up the US Christian charts really warms my heart. The change has also meant they had to polish their image from grungy dread-wearing renegades to clean trim men, wearing only the trendiest of alternative clothing! But that aside, this really does seem to be a much cleaner and trimmer band, through their music as well as their image. The superb production (Travis Wyrick - P.O.D., Pillar) no doubt adds to that but I'm sure it's more down to appealing to a larger audience. Fans of their previous gutsy material should enjoy this but it really is a much softer and melodic album than their previous releases and bears little resemblance to earlier albums. But the more powerful songs should appeal to fans of Skillet and Pillar, whilst the almost-expected ballads should be enjoyed by fans of Jonah33 or Seventh Day Slumber. The hard-gigging three-piece line up - Kevin Young (vocals), Brad Noah (guitar) and Tim Barrett (drums) - is now joined by newcomer Joey Fife (bass). Disciple have always packed their albums with overt Christian themes - nothing poetic and vague about the lyrics from these rock culture evangelists. The songs here take on themes like dashed hopes ("Into Black"), fighting the culture of celebrity ("Stripped Away") and being betrayed by friends ("Backstabber"). Each song is packed with multiple Scripture references. One particular standout is the hard-rocking "All We Have Is Now" which spells out the emptiness of a life outside of the Kingdom of God. All in all this is a highly polished gem.

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