Album Review :
The Great Commission - And Every Knee Shall Bow
Band: The Great Commission
Title: And Every Knee Shall Bow
Label: Strike First Records
Release Date: 2009
Review By: Steve
Tracklisting:
- (Declaration) Of War
- Every Knee Shall Bow
- I Dub City
- A New Hope
- Let Your Kingdom Come
- Iron Sharpens Iron
- The Road Less Traveled (Conviction)
- The Way The Truth The Life
- In A Time Where Hope Was Lost
- Dawning Of A New Day
Want to listen to some raw, convicting spirit filled metalcore? Then The Great Commission is the band for you. This six-piece metalcore band out of Redlands, California is one of many great finds of Strike First Records in recent years. This is some heavy music intended to convict your spirit and glorify Christ.
It is not often that you find a six-piece band that has three guitarists let alone one that is a female that also fills in some great intense background vocals. Musically, The Great Commission’s sound is extremely raw. While some may see this as a negative, I think it adds some character to album. It appears that they only know one style of play and it is fast and hard, and I have no problem with that what so ever. One of the downside I see to the album is musically most of the songs sound the same with just different lyrics. Even though some of the tracks may sound the same, the sound in general is something that I cannot compare to another band, which is definitely a good thing. They are definitely a band that when you hear their tracks you know instantly that it is the Great Commission. However, in my opinion there is so much more to The Great Commission than just the music. Their unbridled passion for Christ oozes out of every track and is what makes this album good.
To me, this album is all about the lyrics and the message they convey to the listener. Lyrically, The Great Commission pulls no punches in regards to what they believe. Their message of hope and repentance is made abundantly clear by the screams of Justin and Angela. My favorite track on the album happens to be the title track “And Every Knee Shall Bow,” one of their shorter songs at only 2:52 but it is extremely powerful about the coming of Christ. Justin and Angela do a great job of screaming “And every knee shall bow / As we proclaim your name / And every knee shall bow / proclaim / Open your eyes / Open your ears / The day of judgment is coming / The end is near / He will come like a thief in the night / My king is here / He is coming to take us home / So we cry out to the sky / Savior, Father, Faithful, King of Kings.” This song goes on to repeat these verses. In addition, this song has some great breakdowns and is a great song to just let loose in the pit.
Overall: this is a solid debut release from a solid band. Once again, Strike First has signed another band that has a new and refreshing sound and has a bright future ahead of them. I believe this album would appeal to most metalcore fans and maybe even some hardcore fans as well.